Crossing the Streams
by garglyswoof
Summary: AU parallel universe fic - Caroline refuses to believe there's no way to save her mom and finds herself crossing universes to find a cure. Slow burn with eventual Klaroline. Bear with me, it's an adventure story.
1. Chapter 1

**Revised since original posting twice to change tense, because I mixed tenses in this first chapter badly. I'm quite sure I missed some, so let me know. This is my first fanfic and I feel like that's pretty clear, but there are a lot of things I'm still proud of here and I hope you'll find something to enjoy in it. This is very much an AU fic. Thanks for reading!**

* * *

 _PRESENT ** Delhi, India_

Caroline reflexively made herself smaller, curling inward and dipping her head as she approached the mouth of the street.

She had taken way too much time, and the chances of discovery were higher than she liked. Her gaze skittered across the pedestrian bustle, faltering for a moment before continuing on. She looked down, fake fumbling in her handbag to hide her shock as her heartbeat thundered. What was HE doing here? She pushed forward and turned a hard corner, eyes scanning for escape routes. She was pretty sure she didn't need to fear that gaze, even with all she'd seen, but it was NOT the time or place for him to pop up. Seriously.

She picked up speed, cursing under her breath as voices raised in irritation behind her. Someone was following, and not being subtle about it. She dropped all pretense and shouldered her way through the crowds, ducking down for a moment to pull a hat over her blond curls. It wouldn't fool anyone determined enough for long, but she didn't need long.

 _Alley to the left, doorway 30 yards to the right, bazaar stalls 20 yards ahead to the left, ok._ She slunk in front of a beefy merchant hawking fresh coconuts from a cooler strapped to his barrel chest. Using his bulk for cover, she turned into the alleyway and melted into the shadows.

* * *

If his murderous gaze was anything to tell by, things were not going well for Klaus Mikaelson. Josh tried to hide his grimace as Klaus caught him in his line of sight and changed his stalking trajectory.

"Where is the witch?" Klaus hissed.

Even after a year with the hybrid, Josh couldn't seem to get over the sheer intimidating force of Klaus, and coughed out a few nervous 'uhhhms' before composing himself.

"Bonnie's not here," he managed as Klaus narrowed his gaze in impatience. "I mean obviously you know that because hello! vampire! and really you were asking where she is and I totally get that and - oh god please don't kill me - what the hell happened?"

Klaus' jaw clenched before spitting out "I saw her. In the flesh. And I…" The moment for niceties was clearly gone as Klaus slammed the young vampire into the wall. "WHERE IS THE WITCH?"

"I'm right here, Klaus. And you need to calm the hell down" Bonnie punctuated her words with a hand slicing downwards, and Klaus' focus changed to the brief stabbing pain in his head.

"I found a spell to hide my presence, if you were wondering. I was getting tired of being unable to do anything without an audience - vampires make terrible roomies," Bonnie drawled. "So what's got you all murdery today?"

Klaus turned his attention to the witch, letting Josh drop to the floor to massage his throat. "I saw her, in the market. No transparency, no vision, it was her. There were men shadowing her - by the time I took care of them she was gone."

Klaus had pulled out a set of cell phones and was calmly wiping off what could only be viscera from the casings.

"Here," he lifted the phones up to show Bonnie before tossing them on a side table. "Two of the men had phones on them. Trace these back to where they came from. I plan on having a visit with those insistent on trailing our mysterious friend."

Bonnie distastefully poked at the cell phones, hiding her surprise at Klaus' behavior. She wondered what it meant that he had chosen losing the girl in order to protect her first. It certainly wasn't wolfish behavior, and that hunting instinct tended to be what drove Klaus first and foremost. He was far less predictable when he wasn't driven by base needs, and Bonnie relied on Klaus being predictable. Still, it was almost oddly...caring of him.

"You," Klaus nodded his head at Josh," are heading out in the city to find another trace of her. I lost her at Sadar Bazaar."

Heels clicked on the tile of the foyer as Rebekah entered the room. "I'm coming with - staying here to provide witty commentary for your failures is getting old."

Klaus' jaw twitched. "Ahhh, your loving familial support is most welcome, Rebekah."

"Perhaps you'd see more of it if you refrained from daggering me in a box for centuries," Rebekah responded in a bored tone, pulling her sunglasses on and dragging Josh, whose shoulders were suspiciously twitching, in her wake.

* * *

Klaus respected power, well... as much as he respected anything. If you held the reins, you registered as a blip on his radar, which was more notice than most people received. There was no shiny, happy valuing life for life's sake in the hybrid; humans were food and witches a meal thwarted.

Megalomania aside, Klaus wasn't stupid, he had eventually recognized that keeping the big three supernatural factions in balance was the best way to keep threats at a minimum and still keep the loyalty he seemed to crave.

Granted, it had been a rough 100 years prior to the pact with the Bennett witches. Bonnie shuddered, remembering some of the stories Gram had told about the gleeful violence the city of New Orleans had seen up into the 19th century. No, she thought, there was no way to fully trust that wolf in vampire's clothing, but what was the phrase? Keep your friends close and your murderous hybrids closer? Bonnie knew that working with Klaus kept more people safe than it threatened, and she would continue to work with him until that was no longer the case.

Her thoughts drifted back to the mystery at hand. Their blonde ghost was becoming corporeal, and she needed to figure out what that meant. Actually, she really needed to stop using that word to describe her. Ghosts, as a general rule, did not act like this blonde mystery - they weren't transparent and scattered like a late night tv broadcast across the vision of only an Original hybrid. They didn't travel either, tending to stick to their place of death as tethered on The Other Side. So what exactly was this -

(Caroline!)

(a burst of laughter, Bonnie's scandalized face, the blonde girl - Caroline - answering with waggling eyebrows)

Bonnie's hand shot out, bracing her weight against the wall as she stumbled. That...whatever it was...Caroline...that felt so real. But it wasn't a memory. That moment...it had never happened, wasn't a part of Bonnie's life. Ever.

The real-not-real memory made her feel nostalgic for a childhood that never was hers. Don't get her wrong, Grams was her life, but growing up in supernatural New Orleans with its constant power plays did not leave much room for giddy laughter with friends your own age. She had friends, sure, but after a few years she grew tired of the whispers and pettiness (she's a Bennett, they're different) and learned to seek solace in grimoires instead of cheer practice.

But just those few moments with... Caroline she mouthed, trying the name on for size - just those few seconds felt so comforting and right.

With renewed purpose, Bonnie grabbed the cellphones of Caroline's attackers and began prepping for the location spell.

* * *

 _PAST ** Mystic Falls, VA_

Cancer.

In the way things repeated often do, the word was starting to sound weird and disconnected from all meaning. "Cancer. Cancer. Cancer. Cancer," each syllable punctuating her rocking motion, arms crossed at the shins, head curled into her body, a diseased mantra repeating. So many thoughts a backdrop - guilt for being caught up in her own life, for not spending more time with her mom. You just...it was too early, yeah? She was 17 years old. This wasn't supposed to happen now, they had plenty of time left. They had another 30 years, easy. Horrible first dates and playing hooky from work to have a picnic at the falls and post-breakup crying jags over Ben and Jerry's and all the stuff they hadn't actually gotten to yet. the stuff that was still going to happen, because she loved her mom and her mom loved her and someday the sheriff's office would have less of a hold and god she just wasn't ready.

Caroline felt so unprepared and confused. She was an immortal vampire and she couldn't save her mom's life? Something was wrong with this picture. There had to be some mystical thing she just hadn't discovered yet, brownies or kelpies or magic spells or something. Werewolves and vampires exist but there's not one way to save her mom's life? She called bullshit. The thought sparked something in her and she rose, uncurling and scrabbling at her face with a damp sleeve.

She kissed her mom's sleeping forehead and headed to the Salvatore's boarding house. She had talked to Stefan earlier, watched his eyes turn apologetic, turned away as he told her there was nothing that could be done. She refused to believe it, and if noone was going to help her, well then she'd just figure it out herself. There had to be something in those old musty tomes the brothers kept, some kind of clue, some direction to follow. She drove on, zoning out at the familiar landmarks, mind focused on the possibilities.

* * *

Caroline always paced when she yelled.

"Why didn't you tell me about witches? Didn't you think 'oh...hey...Caroline's mom is dying and Caroline's freaking the hell out, maybe I should tell her THAT MAGIC EXISTS. Oh and hey I ALSO HAPPEN TO KNOW witches, like, actively am FRIENDS with them." she pauses in her floor stalking to punctuate her last words with three sharp pokes to Stefan's chest.

With a wave of her hand where the glint of a ring flashes, Caroline continued. "I mean I knew this came from some old witch family, but you said they were long gone?"

"Caroline, look, it doesn't work that way." Stefan's pleading tone only served to irritate Caroline more.

"It's my MOM, Stefan. If you knew anything, anything about any person I could talk to, to even try to do anything, no matter what the price...I just" her words broke off, face pulled in a disbelieving grimace. "I'm not asking you to do anything. I'm just asking for something that I can do." Caroline held up the book in her hand. "And according to this, which, no let's not even talk about why this lady's journal is dedicated to you. According to this there's something I can do, and that's talk to a witch."

They locked eyes for a moment, Stefan's searching, Caroline's determined. He looked away first, paused and stared at the ground, then nodded his head sharply.

"I wish there was a living Bennett witch...most powerful ones I've ever known, they may know something beyond what I do. See...life and death is not something witches mess with -" Stefan paused at Caroline's expression, raising a conciliatory hand - "but I do know a witch who lives nearby. Maybe she can explain things better."

* * *

 _PRESENT ** Delhi, India_

Josh had to admit, searching the city streets with Rebekah was way more entertaining than he expected.

She was currently busy trying to use a stick to dislodge some trash from the spear of her stiletto. "Nik and his obsession with local culture," she sniffed, "I'm compelling a room in civilization tonight."

Josh stomped on the debris to let Rebekah pull free. "I kind of like it. It's so alive here. South Delhi feels weird, like I'm walking around a really fancy bank lobby. With cows."

"Well you and my brother can slum with the commoners and I'll just take one to go," Rebekah called over her shoulder. "Come on already, the sooner we find Nik's blonde obsession the sooner I can eat in comfort."

* * *

 _PAST ** Richmond VA_

Caroline totally sucked at parallel parking, and the kids not-so-subtly laughing at her second failure to back into the space weren't helping.

"You know I could eat you right?" she sniped as she shifted into reverse for a final attempt which left the front end of her car creeping out in the street and a back tire up on the sidewalk.

"Good enough."

She slung her purse to her shoulder and walked out onto Floyd Avenue, eyes searching the house addresses. She hadn't been to Richmond since her and Elena had snuck into that college frat party and gotten gloriously trashed, passing out in Elena's car and shuffling back to her house the next day to meet the menacing glare of her Mom. Ugghhh, she had been grounded for WEEKS for that. It had totally been worth it.

Spotting the house number, she tugged open a gate and approached the house.

She saw a curtain twitch, the door opening before she finished raising a hand to knock. A fierce eyed older woman stared her down from the threshold.

Caroline barely got the start of 'Hello' out before the woman muttered a "Come in. Damn fool I am messing with vampires."

The woman turned her back towards Caroline, still muttering. "You're lucky I'm equally bored and confident I can kill you if you try anything."

Caroline raised a brow at the stake suspended in mid-air and edged past it carefully, watching as the point tracked her heart.

"I...believe you." Caroline shrugged off the threat - it wasn't personal. After all, she knew exactly what vampires were capable of.

"So Stefan tells me you've lived in Richmond a long time?"

Caroline couldn't tell if the woman grunted in response or in effort as she bent over to pull at the wooden floorboards, a trapdoor emerging as the boards raised. Caroline rushed over and held the door open earning a surprised glance from the witch.

"150 years. Before you ask, it's pretty easy to stay anonymous in a city, even one as southern as Richmond." The woman's voice called up from the floor below as Caroline backed down the ladder. "Even easier when City Hall suddenly loses track of a small parcel of land in the city and you glamour the property." The woman smiled with a hint of pride, raised her chin towards a tatted chair. "Have a seat. I'm Myrna."

Caroline flashed her best Miss Mystic Falls smile, made better by it actually being sincere.

"Caroline. Thank you for seeing me. I -" Her smile wavered, dropped. "it's my mom. She has cancer. I will do whatever it takes, whatever it takes," Caroline repeated fiercely in response to Myrna's expression. "Look, there are werewolves and witches and vampires and freaking faeries for all i know and I REFUSE to believe there's nothing I can do to help her. She's 42 years old. We have things we need to DO together." Caroline pulled out a small notepad from her purse, flicking it open and starting to recite. "We haven't had a romantic movie marathon starting with the ultimate - The Notebook. Oh! And she needs to be at my college graduation so we can celebrate with a dinner at Juleps where we'll eat like five plates of those fried green tomatoes, for that matter we haven't tried to make fried green tomatoes, we haven't gone tubing with boxed wine down the James -"

Caroline trailed off, still staring at her list.

"Oh sugar. I feel for you, I do. But the Other Side is not something easily held back, not for humans at least; present company excluded - witches aren't exactly human - don't let us fool ya." Myrna lowered her head conspiratorially. "Some of the younger witches get real uppity about witches being closer to humanity than the monsters are. No offense. Anyways, I ramble."

Myrna pulled a thick book off the shelf next to her chair. "There IS something I learned from a witch i met a ways back. Now, your mom's still alive right?"

Caroline nodded, mouth turning downward in a grimace, the pinprick of tears.

"Oh honey, I'm a tactless old woman, forgive me. It's just that it makes all the difference. Let's see here. " Myrna licked a finger to turn a few pages, then ran it along the cramped handwriting as she read. "Hmm this is it, but it's not quite what i remembered. It's a modified..." Myrna squinted at the paper, fumbled at her breast for a pair of glasses hanging on a lanyard and put them on, "...a modified locator spell. For finding and...sending you to a cure. Hmmph."

Caroline sat silently as Myrna's eyes continued to track down the page. Impatient, she began rummaging through her purse. "I brought some of my mom's stuff with me, is there anything else you need?"

Myrna glanced up. "Well. You acknowledging the risk for one thing. Not that I expect you'll care. But the cure is individual for each illness." She tapped her finger on the page, squinted. "And sometimes, the cure just doesn't exist. But the spell doesn't care and will send you there anyways."

"Where?"

"Nowhere. To nothing. I don't know...the void? You wouldn't exist."

"Let's do it." No hesitation, for how could there be?

Myrna responded with a wry smile. "We'll have some dinner first. I don't work spells on an empty stomach."

* * *

 _PAST ** New Orleans, LA_

Klaus idly spun his glass on the bar, eyes scanning the crowd. It was a slow night at Rousseau's, but there was still Marcel's blonde bartender and a few couples to amuse him with their inebriated mating dances. It was interesting to watch the subtle shifts over time in the landscape of human idiocy, he thought, watching a young man caress another's stubbled cheek lovingly. It certainly was becoming much easier to seduce young men to his bed and their demise as sexuality became more fluid and accepted. It was all about variety, after all. Sometimes that gamey bouquet of testosterone was what he craved.

Bored with his own thoughts, Klaus downed the rest of his scotch and left, hoping to ease some of his restlessness with a walk. Something had felt off this whole evening, and he reran conversations, plans, scenes from the day through his head, cross-checking and wondering what it was that had his hackles raised. He was smiling at his own thoughts' wordplay when he caught something in his peripheral vision.

His flash took him to the alley, hands wrapping around a throat of no substance. He stumbled a moment, quickly regaining his balance and turning to face the threat. A girl stood there, an irritated expression on her face, arms splayed akimbo. She didn't even flinch as Klaus grabbed at her again, his hands once more passing through her. He paused to reassess - he realized that this is what had stirred his growing unease - he had seen glimpses of this blonde all day in the corner of his eye, never catching it and never enough to register as something beyond a subconscious threat.

An admittedly beautiful threat, he thought as his eyes traced her form, noticing that he could see traces of the cobblestones through her. She wasn't...solid. He cursed internally. This reeked of magic and the last thing he needed was to avert some upstart witch's plot to take him down. She was oblivious to his presence, her eyes focused on a point somewhere near his left shoulder. She was talking now, throwing her hands around to punctuate what clearly was a point she passionately believed in, blond hair bouncing on her shoulders.. Klaus' dimples made an appearance.

The blonde finished her impassioned speech, raising both palms in frustrated entreaty before her image stuttered, caught, disappeared. Klaus cursed, he had managed to snap a photo with his mobile but it was like taking a photo of a reflection, the image distorted and faint. Nonetheless, it was something, and he clenched his jaw a moment before heading off towards Lafayette. It was time for the witches to answer some questions.

* * *

 _PAST_ ** Richmond, VA

Myrna bustled about the small kitchen, gathering ingredients and muttering to herself. Caroline had tried to listen, but it was clear the older woman was carrying on a conversation with herself and only part of it was out loud. Caroline tuned her out and focused on scraping resin into a small bowl, inhaling the sharp wintry smell of pine.

Earlier, they had eaten a small meal on the patio, squinting in the early afternoon sunlight as it warmed their bones. Myrna had told a story about taking down "one of them fool werewolves grown too big for his britches" that had Caroline choking with laughter. The conversation had flowed as if they had known each other for years, and she was more relaxed than she had been in...forever, it felt like.

"If you're done with the benzoin, I'm ready to cast the spell." Myrna's voice was heavy.

"Hey." Caroline placed a hand on Myrna's shoulder. "Thank you. This means so, so much to me. And I'll be fine. I know the cure is out there, and frankly if it's not, I'm ok with that."Caroline caught Myrna's eyes. "Seriously." The two women stood staring, young and old gazes meeting and holding.

With a resigned sigh Myrna began lighting candles, chanting in a clear, ringing voice. She motioned to Caroline, who brought the small bowl filled with pine resin forward and scraped it into a larger mortar and pestle .

"cum eaque i vocant spiritus"

Myrna pricked both of Caroline's palms, immediately covering the wounds with herb paste.

If you asked Caroline, Myrna's "This is going to sting a bit" before setting Caroline's palms on fire was a top contender for the understatement of the year. Stifling a scream with clenched teeth, tears fell freely down her face as the stench of burnt herbs and flesh filled the room.

"invenire quod quaerimus feramus sacrificium"

The pain was thankfully dying down as the chanting continued, was she just getting used to it?

"sanitates nutrire, ut totum"

Wind whipped through the room, candles guttering in the gusts. Caroline looked down at her hands, noticed the woodgrain of the table below. Wait, what?

"hac tum praetoria naue mittam sanare infirmitatem!" Myrna's voice had raised in the face of the howling wind, the last word a harsh scream. Caroline was staring at her hands, or what she still saw of them. They were completely transparent, and as she watched, the background underneath them stuttered, flickered, turned from table to cobblestones and back. The spell must be working!

She looked up at Myrna who was watching her with confusion, which wasn't...the most comforting of reactions.

"What's going on? I thought this was what was supposed to happen? It's working, right?" The flickering of scenes was disorienting. She thought she caught a glimpse of a dumpster, a brick wall, a man's face, but it kept flickering back to Myrna's kitchen before she could focus. She felt strangely light.

"I don't know. From what I read, the spell is supposed to transport you to the cure immediately, so I don't really understand." Myrna was flipping through the grimoire.

"Oh. By the way. Do you think you maybe could have warned me about the whole SETTING ME ON FIRE thing?"

"Pain is always easier when you're not anticipating it." Myrna said absently, focused on the grimoire. Nodding to herself, she looked up, reached out and grabbed Caroline's wrist. "Huh. You're solid...but you're not." Myrna looked almost impressed as she peered closer at Caroline. "I'm just...hold on."

"Oh sure...take your time. I'll be here." Another flicker, god if she could just make out that street sign, "or perhaps not since I'm somehow turning see through and teleporting in and out of SOME SUPER GROSS SMELLING ALLEY!" Caroline did not do panic well. Counting to ten in her head, she tried to calm herself down. "I'm sorry, I'm just panicking but I mean seriously this is a panicky moment I am totally justified in my panickiness so please?" Caroline lurched forward and dropped face-first to the ground, set off balance by the full weight of her body returning to her. She mumbled "I'm ok!" into the floor, rolling over to stare up at Myrna's worried face.

"I'm back to normal now. That was super weird. Wait, does that mean it didn't work? Or did it just kind of work? I went somewhere. With bricks. And sewage. And a super hot angry guy. I think?" Caroline stopped, startled by the cellphone in Myrna's hand. Somehow the technology seemed incongruous - it's not like Caroline expected the witch to use a spell to talk to her friends except - yeah that's exactly what Caroline had expected, to be honest. She heard the snap of connection, a sleepy, questioning greeting.

"Hi Rastha, I'm sorry if I woke you. I need your help."

The conversation drifted into an explanation of the spell and the materials used. Caroline looked at her hands, the solidity of them, thought of her mom. The doctor had said she had some time, but no one could really be sure how long. Any delay in finding a way to cure her mom was just playing chicken with the clock.

* * *

The trips were getting longer; she felt a little more of herself coming along each time even as her body remained in Mystic Falls. It made sense, as much as the concept of alternate realities could ever make sense. From what Myrna had said, the spell was trying to transport her to the cure, but the cure only touched on this reality in certain spots, at certain times. The good news was that the spell's power relied on intention, and Caroline trying to save her mom was quite the power source. So - if she understood things right - the realities would start crossing more often, for longer, and Caroline would be more and more solid and able to interact with the other world. It was crazy frustrating that she couldn't just go and FIX her mom and why did it have to take so long but it was progress and she was grateful to the witch for all her help.

There were some weird things about her trips that she hadn't gotten a chance to talk to Myrna about yet. Caroline idly drummed her fingers on the counter as she considered. For one thing, if she was supposed to be getting closer to the cure, then why was she being sent to two different places? The first was New Orleans - she had definitely seen a sign for Bourbon Street, and where she went seemed directly tied to that one guy. Speaking of - what was up with that? Why him? Why was he the only person that could see her? Did he have the cure on him? If he did, then back to question one - why was she going to two different places? She wasn't super clear on where the second location was, but a few days ago she had gotten a clear view of a building that had looked like kind of like a less fancy Taj Mahal. So, somewhere in India...which was definitely not New Orleans.

Her thoughts trailed back to the man, again, for the fiftieth time that day. He was gorgeous, for sure, but there was something else that drew her eye. Something about the way he carried himself that spoke to her, the set of his shoulders a twin to her own. He did a good job of hiding the strain but it took one to know one, and she saw the tension he hid under the facade of nonchalance. She had watched him speak to a few people, and geez why had she never gone to New Orleans again? Seriously, everyone there was super hot? Anyways, she had watched him, seen him try to speak to her, read the suspicion and anger in his face. More and more she had been sent to him when he was alone in what looked like a studio. She watched those shoulders relax from their bowstring tension as he painted. Watched his face calm as his brush brought forth shadow and light from the blank canvas.

Drawing out of her reverie, Caroline decided to start image searching for the India location when she felt the pulling sensation in her chest that signified another trip to the transparent side. A small part of her (ok big part, who was she kidding) was hoping the destination would be New Orleans so she could see more of the full-lipped stranger.

* * *

Her smile died as the hosts of chaos and horror greeted her, and she instinctively ducked a snarling vampire that launched himself past her. She's facing a wall of menace - at least twenty sets of fangs out - all focused on a target somewhere over her right shoulder. At a guttural roar that chilled her to the bone, she turned. It was him, although she is surprised she can tell through the fangs and predatorial, inhuman glare. He was surrounded by bodies and drenched in blood, arms trailing heavy chains that he now launched forward, the links catching and crushing a vampire's cheekbone. The vampire screamed, staggering back, his companions losing a little of their bravado before regrouping.

Klaus walked forward slowly, laughing in a low, mocking tone, completely unhinged. Caroline cowered against the wall, freezing as his eyes flickered past her. She wouldn't have noticed his gaze pause if she wasn't a vampire, the gesture so minute, but it wasn't a comfort to be noticed, not by this...monster, she thought, unable to reconcile this creature with the man she had seen over the past week.

She watched him, his form blurring with speed, grace coloring his movements and forcing an unwelcome admiration. He spun in a low circle to avoid a desperate punch, exploded upwards in a vicious uppercut that snapped an attacker's neck. A raised arm blocked a downward stab right at the wrist, the attacking hand opening reflexively, knife clattering uselessly to the ground . Each movement flowed into the next with a hunter's efficiency, every action designed to thwart or subdue the closest threat. Recoiling from a backhand that had gotten through his defenses, Klaus roared and stabbed into the soft belly of the woman who had dared to get a lucky shot in, his hand still gripping her intestines as he twisted to meet another snarling face with a jab, viscera squeezing out of the gaps in his fist.

Caroline will never, ever, forget the scream of pain and terror that arose from the disemboweled vampire's throat. She shook now, arms clasping each other for what little comfort touch could give - she just wanted to go home.

To her great shock, for once, wishing worked. The scene disappeared, but Caroline was not back in Mystic Falls, rather another courtyard, one with plants trailing up columns and spilling over a tiled floor. A short, wiry Indian man stared at her in shock from the small table where he sat, spoon halfway to mouth.

"Y-you can see me?!" Caroline quickly glanced at her hands. They're still transparent.

The man began chanting in a shaky voice, backing away from Caroline with a hurried screech of chair on tile.

"Oh, oh no. No, no I'm really - I'm not a scary person." Caroline waved her arms in front of her in what she hoped was the universal gesture for 'for real stop, I'm totally harmless.' "I know this is strange, but hear me out. D-do you speak English?"

The man drew his head back, eyes widening, and raised his voice in response. "Om mohare te kaalbhairav pathishi - "

"Ok. So." Caroline's heels clacked across the tile as she approached the small table and sat. "I'm sorry, but you're the first person to see me besides that -" She paused, shuddering as she remembered that bloody, gleeful grin. "You're the second person that can see me. And I'd really like to know why, so I know this is freaky but please hear me out." Slumping her shoulders - she was just so tired - she looked up at the man in entreaty.

"I am a good man. I have a family." He's paused in an arched doorway that presumably led out of the courtyard. His gaze kept shifting from Caroline to the beam of late afternoon sunlight streaking in and illuminating the table where she sat.

Energized by the English response, however negative, Caroline gave the man a double thumbs-up, then faltered. Wait, was that like a middle finger in India? Or was that the peace sign? Or was that England? Ugh.

"OK! I am TOTALLY not here to hurt you! I- have a family too! And my mom is super, super sick. So I talked to someone to help me, a - a priestess?" The man started to edge forward as she spoke and Caroline didn't want to upset the tentative peace with mentions of witches. "And the priestess prayed and the prayer worked and sent me here and you can see me and do you know anything about healing?" The words tumbled out like a old locomotive gaining steam.

With a quizzical look, he edged forward a few more steps, just within reach of the table. He reached out a hand slowly, poised to jump back at the slightest provocation. Caroline sat still, holding her breath as he jabbed at her arm, both of them watching silently as his fingers sank into her translucent skin. Caroline gave a nod, raising her brows in a "what can you do?" expression in response to the man's confused look. He muttered something in a foreign language with a wondering tone, withdrawing his fingers and sinking them into her forearm again. It felt oddly like someone poking the fleshy part of her thigh, that sort of springy give.

"Weird, huh?" Caroline grinned conspiratorially. "What's it feel like to you?"

"Like touching…" He opened and closed his mouth a few times, searching for the word. "Paneer. Cheese," he clarified. Caroline burst out laughing and the man smiled an awkward smile that grew as her laughter continued.

"What is your name?" Caroline asked after her laughter calmed.

"Abhishek... Abhi"

In a misunderstanding that would mortify her later, Caroline stuck her hand out to shake his and said, "Well Abhishek Abhi, my name is Caroline and I come from a galaxy far, far away."


	2. Chapter 2

**PFWW/N (I can't put A/N. I'm not an author. This writing crap is HARD. So this is a Person Fumbling With Words note.)**

 **Hi! Thank you to all who have read, reviewed, followed, etc. It is SO crazy to me that I am doing this, and your encouragement is a huge help in pushing past my paralyzing insecurities to post this story.**

 **That being said, I know things are super confusing and so this chapter is a whole hell of a lot of story progression so that things begin to catch up with the present. It's going to be a while before Klaus and Caroline REALLY meet, and they have no interaction in this chapter. They will 100% be a pairing in this story, this ship is too strong to deny, but it's just not gonna happen for a while.**

 **This chapter? I'm so nervous. It's a lot of plot and a lot of an original character and I really hope it doesn't lose you.I'm pretty proud of it for now, but I'm sure that will last like two days. Lol.**

 **In terms of timelines here - Caroline's scenes in this chapter start directly after the end of the last chapter, while Klaus' scenes are older.**

 **Let me know what you think!**

* * *

MYSTIC FALLS VA

Caroline pushed a pin into the cork board, marking another spot on the map of Delhi she had printed out on the big plotter at Whitmore. Her bedroom these days was straight out of a crime drama, the map accompanied by a whiteboard filled with Caroline's bubbly handwriting marching across the board in neat rows. She had drawn ruler lines first, of course.

She had been trying to find a pattern in the locations she had been sent to so far, at least in Delhi. She really didn't understand how New Orleans tied in and honestly? She didn't want to think about crazy, demented vampire guy right now. Luckily it was as if the flashes sensed this and were totally cooperating - she hadn't appeared in New Orleans in days, and instead visited Delhi with increasing frequency and substance. The whiteboard housed a running chart of the circumstances of her flashes, noting the time, how solid she was, if she could hear, if others could hear her. Plotting everything out helped Caroline stay calm and as in control as she could be. This alternate reality business was freaking confusing.

After the first time she left Abhi with a frustrated huff, fading before his eyes, he had given her a prepaid cellphone to keep on her at all times so she could contact him as soon as she appeared in his reality. She had basically wasted an entire Delhi flash with phone calls to friends and family, checking if they existed in Abhi's world. Her mom wasn't there, thank goodness, because that would be super confusing. Matt wasn't either, a suspicious female voice asking "Who's Matt?" when Caroline dialed his number. Myrna _was_ around, her voicemail promising that she never listened to messages "so don't bother leaving one." Elena? Still Elena, her soft voice echoing through the phone line a strange comfort. Caroline had hung up, unsure if talking to someone she knew in this different reality would mess with anything. Hey, she wasn't super into sci-fi, but April Young had made her watch that freaky episode of Doctor Who with the angels and who knows, maybe there was some truth to it.

Caroline finished with the pushpins and stood back to eye the map, hands on hips. There was definitely a pattern - all the flashes seemed to form a circle in a very specific, albeit large, section of Delhi. Abhi had thought it was just Old Delhi at first, but a flash to a bustling metro station one day and an impossibly green lawn the next had widened their search to include more of the city. Caroline smiled as she thought of the older man; the two had become fast, if unconventional, friends, and Abhi had taken great delight in exploring the cure's mystery with her. She was thankful for a friend and a guide, shuddering as she thought of the first flash into Delhi after meeting him:

* * *

DELHI, INDIA

Caroline whirled around, surrounded on all sides by vehicles swerving around her and expressing vocal dismay at the inconvenience.

Really, spell? Was it necessary to flash her to the middle of a highway?

Caroline scoffed and jumped up and back, landing on an overpass and leaning over the roadwall to catch unnecessary breath. Old habits die hard. The cacophony of horns continued unabated, seemingly a part of the chaos that was a Delhi highway. There were no discernible lanes, yet somehow everything flowed like a vehicular river, the traffic eddying around an old man driving an oxen cart (seriously?), mopeds swirling through gaps in the traffic, an odd little three-wheeled vehicle doing the shuddering stop start of the newly-licensed clutch driver.

She really needed to find Abhi, trying to remember if he had told her anything she could use to find him. After their awkward meeting they had sat for an hour, Abhi's bushy eyebrows raising in astonishment as Caroline explained the spell. He had stopped her in the middle of her explanation with a raised finger, shuffling away from the courtyard and returning in a few minutes with a heavy book with gilt edges. The crackling sound of the thin pages turning filled the courtyard as Abhi flipped through the tome, grunting as he found the passage he was looking for.

"There are stories of this happening before. Of traveling between worlds. Old stories. Here. Forgive me, my Sanskrit is rusty."

Abhi cleared his throat, began to read, haltingly at first.

 _In the darkness of the old world reigned the eldest queen_

 _A hunger insatiable, a million throats torn asunder_

 _The ancients powerless against her bloodthirsty might_

 _They escaped to the world betwixt_

 _Returning as the phoenix cried the dawn of the age_

 _They subdued her with words of power gained_

 _A new language untried in the old_

 _The crimson hosts fled before their strike_

 _Following the same path the ancients redeemed_

 _The eldest queen lies in eternal wait for crimson to free."_

Abhi's voice was full and rich, the words rolling over Caroline. Her brows drew together and she bit her lip, considering.

"So...you think my world is the old world? Who is the eldest queen? And honestly, what does this have to do with the cure?"

"I do not know. It is just, your spell, I have not heard of anyone crossing worlds other than in these stories." Abhi brushed his hand across the pages and leveled a look at Caroline. "And an old Urdu poet once said 'coincidences are merely connections unobserved'. So I feel it is _something_...Wait. You...you are vampire, yes?" Abhi looked away, clearly uncomfortable with the subject.

"Yeah. But i don't eat people!" Caroline blurted, touching Abhi's arm in a gesture of comfort. "Blood bags only, like from a hospital. Speaking of which, I'll need to find a source here if the flashes get longer. But anyways, why?"

"Do you know where vampirism comes from in your world?"

"Not really. It was rough enough learning to control the urges and keep my emotions from going super wonky. I haven't really thought about it to be honest."

"Can you ask? I feel that it is important." Abhi tapped the passage in the book before closing it with reverence.

"Sure. I mean, Stefan probably knows." Caroline rested her chin on her hands, blowing air out through her mouth. "But I still don't really get why?"

Abhi somehow looked apologetic and far away at the same time. "I am sorry, it is just an idea in this man's confused thoughts for now." His face snapped back to the present, eyes meeting hers. "But come, tell me about this other place you visit, New Orleans. I would like to hear more."

Back on the overpass Caroline shook her head, gave in the urge to stomp a foot in frustration. Ughhhhh. There was nothing in memory that would get her in contact with Abhi. Well, she wasn't doing much of anything just standing here. Glancing both ways, Caroline picked a direction and started walking.

The chaos wasn't just confined to the roads and Caroline felt way out of her element. The city bustled about her, the now ubiquitous horns a backdrop to the lilting rise and fall of voices. She was surprised at the number of people dressed in Western clothing, collared shirts and trousers worn by the majority of men she passed. Women seemed more varied, from pants and blouses to vivid, extravagant saris that broke up the brown of the dusty streets. Caroline couldn't stop the grin that came to her face; there was something so _alive_ about it all, surrounded by millions of people going about their day. Love and loss, tears and laughter, bored glances and hopeful ones, a flirtatious smile and a head ducked in embarrassment. God, this was everything that Mystic Falls was not.

She walked a half mile or so before stopping her tracks at a tarp hanging precariously from a storefront.

TELENOR INDIA

MTNL

VOLANT

OFFERED HERE! BEST PRICE!

A cartoon cellphone smiled at her from the tarp, arms spread in welcome. Volant...didn't Abhi mention working for a telecom? He had changed the subject quickly, but yeah, she thought it was that. Entering the store, she approached the counter with a bright smile.

"Hi! Do you have a -" Caroline mimed opening a book, rifling through the pages. "Directory?"

The proprietor looked at her with mild irritation before pulling out a book from under the counter and sliding it across. The cover and most of the first hundred pages were missing, but Caroline found Volant, noting the phone number and glancing up at the man behind the register with pleading eyes. "Is there any way I can use your phone?"

Another glare, another slide across the counter. Geez. Dialing the number, she prepared to be put on hold but was surprised when someone answered after six rings.

"Volant Communications, this is Nabanita speaking. How may I direct your call?"

"Yes! Hi! This is gonna sound totally weird, but um. Do you have an Abhi that works there? Middle aged, bushy eyebrows, kind of looks like that eagle guy from the Muppets?"

"I-what?" the sound of the phone being set down, muffled dialogue, laughter.

A different voice picked up the line. "He 100% looks like Sam the Eagle. I'm dying. And yes, Abhi owns Volant. Who may I say is calling?"

* * *

NEW ORLEANS, LA

"What about that guy Aiden? He's super cute." Bonnie drummed her nails as the polish dried, other hand turning the page of the grimoire she studied.

"He's a wolf. Have you ever dated a wolf? The possessiveness gets a bit old." Josh quirked his mouth, considering, then seesawed his palm. "Although that can _definitely_ be hot. I don't know. I just don't do well with that whole control thing."

"Yep I get it. You can't be tamed." Bonnie said in mock seriousness, her eyes dancing with her grin stretched wide.

Josh shoved her leg. "Ok miss control freak, like you'd ever put up with that. Anyways, don't really see _you_ dating anyone."

"Every guy i meet here is either obsessed with my family or dumb as a box of hair."

Josh spewed out his drink. "Oh my god that's amazing. I'm totally using that."

A clipped voice rang out through the hall. "Perhaps you'd like to use it to describe yourself, Josh. I asked for the witch an hour ago." Klaus entered with an annoyed expression. "I'm not sure where you ever got the impression that I enjoyed having my orders ignored."

Bonnie rolled her eyes and interrupted Josh's stammer. "I was doing my nails Klaus. Whatever you needed could wait."

Klaus' voice was deceptively calm, an undercurrent of menace just below the surface. "I don't believe it can. There's a new witch threat in town and I need you to get to the bottom of it."

Bonnie couldn't help her surprise. A new witch? She listened as Klaus explained what he had seen in the alley. Weird. This didn't sound like anything she was familiar with. She pushed off the sofa and grabbed her phone from her bag, squinting at the picture Klaus had just texted. It was like a reflection on glass, really hard to make anything out. She saw long hair, a perfect crescent brow that she was kinda jealous of, a thin frame.

"I can't really do much with this. And I haven't sensed any new ma-" Bonnie paused as Klaus waved an arm to shush her, his eyes intent on something in the room.

"She's right there." Klaus said in a quiet voice, pointing to the left side of the couch. Josh exaggeratedly tiptoed away from the spot, making Bonnie's lips twitch. She looked at him and he shook his head. Josh couldn't see whoever it was either.

"Who are you?" Klaus said wonderingly, taking out his phone and snapping several photos in quick succession, eyes never leaving the spot on the couch. "She _definitely can_ see me," Bonnie wondered at his suddenly smug tone. Oh. Klaus' hotness had disappeared for her long ago, what with the whole obsession with violence. Clearly this...whoever she was didn't know Klaus well. Or didn't care.

"You are aware I can't be killed, love? So whatever plot you have in mind will fail. Not that I'd mind a visit should you wish to grace us with your physical presence." Klaus voice dipped low with insinuation as Bonnie and Josh looked at each other with incredulity. Josh mimed gagging and Bonnie had to suppress her laughter, turning her attention back to the empty couch.

She wasn't really sure what to do. Without having a basic idea of... whatever this was, it was hard to cast magic around it, as spells in general relied on an understanding of the forces you were working with. Well...there _was_ something she could cast, something on the lines of a forensic spell. Muttering low in Latin, Bonnie began drawing a continuous circle with her finger framing the couch.

"Josh, hand me a candle would you?" she murmured at a break in her chanting, reaching a hand back and grasping as she felt Josh place the taper in her hand. Lighting it with a quick cantrip, she continued chanting, this time using the candle to draw the circle, shifting her perspective every few rotations with a step to the side. She could tell Klaus was irritated by the distraction but paid him no mind.

"What is your name? Who sent you?" Klaus was continuing to interrogate the empty couch and Josh was having a hard time not finding this hilarious. Klaus cursed. "I can't hear her responses and her mouth is too faint for me to read lips. This is maddening. Wait!" He reached a hand out, let it drop. "She's gone." Klaus immediately turned his full attention on Bonnie. "What did your spell discover?"

"Hold your horses, Klaus." Bonnie hadn't stopped circling the candle, and the air behind it began wavering, the distortion akin to air rising above a sun-blasted road. There was an intake of breath - Josh, who had moved behind Bonnie to see - as a still image appeared, magical remnants caught in time. Blond curls, those perfect half-moon brows Bonnie had noticed earlier, pert nose, affronted expression.

"Who's surprised Klaus managed to piss off the ghost chick in less than a minute. No one? Oh -" the sharp crack of broken bones preceded Josh's body crumpling to the floor. Klaus glowered at Bonnie in a silent dare.

Bonnie arched a brow at Klaus, unimpressed. She picked her grimoire up off the sofa, paging through it. "So I have no idea what that was. It wasn't any kind of spell I've seen before, and I don't know why I'm saying this," Bonnie's brow scrunched in confusion, "but I'm positive that girl is no witch."

"Well, then what is she? Why am I the only one to see her? Until you figure this out she's a threat. I won't stand for this." Klaus stormed away, calling over his shoulder "Lattice Bridge - Louis Armstrong Park. Tomorrow, midnight." He paused, pirouetted to face her, mock bowed with arms spread wide. "I'll be expressing my displeasure with the local community. That is, unless you find something." Klaus' voice adopted a thoughtful tone. "Well, perhaps even if you don't. I do so love a good spot of violence."

* * *

MYSTIC FALLS VA

Caroline had finished making her latest entries on the whiteboard and was now laying on her stomach on the bed, legs kicking idly as she stared at the data.

"Honey?" Her mom's voice called through the door. Caroline jumped up, calling "One sec mom!" as she shoved the two boards in her closet. She hadn't really brought the whole cure thing up yet, because how exactly to broach the subject? "Hey mom so you know about vampires, but there's also witches and I had them cast a spell so I could help cure you so now I keep visiting another reality and it keeps sending me to India and New Orleans at random moments and there's this super murdery guy who i can't stop thinking is hot." Honestly it just seemed easiest to keep it under wraps.

Pasting on a bright smile, she opened the bedroom door and tried not to let her mother's exhausted appearance shake her expression. Her mom didn't need to deal with being worried about her.

"Hi sweetie." Liz brushed a curl from Caroline's face. "I just wanted to let you know I'm working late tomorrow. And before you say it." Liz blocked Caroline's mouth with an index finger. "Please. It helps me. To know that I'm leaving a legacy of safety for this town. I know it's hard, but we really think we've gained traction on that vampire case I was telling you about." Liz withdrew her hand, continued in a placating tone. "I took Sunday off and we can have that picnic and go shopping."

Caroline was hurt. I mean, on one hand she understood, but why was this town's legacy more important than her daughter again? Nodding her head and trying to not dislodge the smile, Caroline hugged her mom, feeling the delicate bones underneath. "It's ok mom. I get it. I love you"

"I love you too, honey." Liz's eyes softened, a half grin making a brief appearance on her face. She stared at Caroline a moment more before turning and heading out of the room, calling over her shoulder, "I'll call on my break, ok?"

Caroline murmured in assent before she closed the door and pulled out the boards again, staring and willing a pattern to emerge.

* * *

NEW ORLEANS LA

Klaus checked the time on his phone. Oh good, the witch was late. He knelt down and removed the gag from a struggling werewolf. "Sorry, love. Time has run out. Any last words? If you tell me what you know, it will be a merciful death."

The werewolf's eyes were huge in her pale face, dark hair streaming. Her mouth opened and closed like a fish, fear paralyzing her vocal chords. Klaus rolled his eyes and pulled her to standing, punching a hand in her chest.

"Wait! Stop!" Bonnie's voice called out.

Klaus sighed. "Are you sure? This one is a disgrace to werewolves everywhere, she's weak."

"Well then she's no threat to you at all and frankly it's beneath you to mess with her, yeah?" Bonnie knew Klaus logic.

Or thought she did. The heart was still beating as it hit the wood of the bridge.

Klaus raised his hands placatingly, speaking in a bored tone. "I'll talk to her Alpha. To be honest, I've done him a favor, cutting out a weak link in the pack."

Bonnie felt a sick, helpless rage boil up in her, almost unleashing her wrath on Klaus before reining it in when she spotted the two bags beside him, alive with movement.

"You can't mess with lives like that Klaus. She did nothing to hurt you."

"And how do you know? Do you have news to the contrary?" Klaus said almost eagerly.

"Just - I can't even. Let them go." Bonnie motioned to the bodies fighting for escape from their confines.

Klaus eyed Bonnie thoughtfully, recognizing he had stepped over the line when it came to the witch. Not that he was going to apologize, but he did bend down, loosening the strings on the bags and freeing the vampire and witch encased within. They ran off as soon as their legs were freed without a backwards glance.

Bonnie was still almost choking on her anger but spit out a summary of her conversation with Grams.

"It's a spell, but we think it was cast _on_ the girl, so she's definitely not a witch. There's something really off about it though. It's like it's a window between you two, but her side is not anywhere on the planet. Like it's from somewhere...else but we don't know where yet."

Klaus looked irritated but smartly kept his feelings to himself. "How do we trace it back then?"

"I don't know Klaus, but I do know you have other problems, and idly killing werewolves isn't helping your cause. I'm out." Bonnie waved a hand dismissively, turning and leaving the park.

* * *

DELHI, INDIA

"Agrasen ki Baoli."

"Bless you." Caroline quipped, earning an unamused glance from Abhi. "What. I'm hilarious! Sorry. What did you say?"

They were both in Abhi's courtyard, a copy of Caroline's map spread across the table. Abhi pointed to a spot in the middle of the circle, tapped it a few times. "Agrasen ki Baoli. It is an ancient step well in Delhi. Seven hundred years old. I dove in it as a boy." A goofy smile grew on his face. "My father was not pleased, but amma was indulgent, so I hid under her skirts to escape my father's wrath."

She smiled at Abhi and waggled her brows. "You wanna go?"

"Well, not to dive in it, but for your cure, yes." Abhi laughed as Caroline cocked her head and gave him a long-suffering glance.

"You're such a dork," Caroline grumbled as they exited the house into the bright Delhi sunshine. There was a snap in the air as winter approached, and Caroline tugged her cardigan closer. She still got cold, ok? Stefan had once tried to argue that she was a vampire and the cold didn't affect her, eventually throwing up his hands in exasperation at her stubbornness.

They walked in silence, Caroline slowing her gait to let Abhi catch up every few minutes, though her legs were twitching with the need to move.

Abhi sensed her impatience, squeezing her shoulder when he caught up. "It will still be there whenever we get there."

"Well honestly, I might not be, so if you could pick up the pace?" Caroline knew she was being a bitch, but it had been three weeks since the spell and they were no closer to finding out anything. She had a right to be impatient. Didn't she? They walked on in silence until Caroline looked at him out of the corner of her eye and saw his crestfallen expression. Ugh. Stupid conscience.

"I'm sorry Abhi. This is just...I really hope we find something at this well." The hurt turned to understanding in Abhi's eyes and he signaled a rickshaw driver, motioning to Caroline to sit before taking a seat next to her in the cart. The ride was less perilous than it could be, this section of Delhi oddly desolate with its austere government buildings and wide swathes of lawn. Twenty minutes later the driver pulled up, murmuring a friendly goodbye as Abhi handed him the fare.

Caroline knew before she even stepped out that this was it. There was a pull in her diaphragm, and she followed, reaching the edge of the structure and looking down into the well. Next to her, Abhi glanced down with a rueful gaze at the dry depths below.

"No water anymore," Caroline stated the obvious.

"No."

"There is something here though. I feel it." Abhi swiveled his head up at her words, their eyes locking. "Stay here, I'm going down."

Caroline jumped down, catching the edge of the stonework and swinging into one of the stone arches in a gracefully athletic move. Abhi gestured feebly at the stairs on the other side, then shrugged and bent over the lip of the well to watch her descent. Drop, catch, swing; she repeated her movements and reached the bottom of the step-well, disappearing underneath an archway.

"Can you hear me?" She called up to Abhi.

"Yes, but faint." Abhi screamed through cupped hands.

"You don't need to yell back, it's ok. Vampire remember?" Caroline's voice was teasing. "Anyways, there's a wall down here that looks super weird. I'm gonna see what happens when I-"

The faint sound of toppling masonry rose up from the depths. "I'm ok!"

Abhi leaned further over the edge, straining to see. A sudden hand at his shoulder almost sent him toppling and he reared back with alarm, overcompensating and sending himself flying to his back. Two tall, menacing figures glared down at him. How in the name of Chandraya had two people snuck up on him?

"What are you doing here? This is a sacred area," one of them spoke in a low guttural growl.

Abhi regained some of his bravado and leveled his gaze. "This is public property, and you almost sent me to my death. What do you think you're doing?" He watched, disbelievingly, as a sheen of red passed over the eyes of the two men, disappearing as quickly as it appeared. Abhi began edging backwards, trying to lure them away from the well, a shaking in his voice when he next spoke. "Now would be a great time to introduce yourself."

"Where is the girl?" The men were seeming less and less like men, Abhi catching the grey cast of their skin in the street light as they followed his retreat.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Lies. Where is she, our mistress has sensed her. She is the one that will -" The creature stopped, distracted by the pole that was now stuck through his chest, feebly clutching at it as he dropped to the ground. Caroline appeared, shooting a worried glance at Abhi before hefting another shaft of wood and throwing it at the second creature. He roared and batted the makeshift stake away, lowering his head and spearing her with eyes that glowed a deep blood red. He charged her and she danced aside, laughing. Seriously, being a vampire was _fun_.

Bellowing in rage, the creature struck out at her, missing again, thrice, a fourth time. On the fifth he caught a lucky blow to her shoulder that sent her flying ten feet behind her. Ouch. These guys packed a wallop. The creature turned his red lantern gaze on Abhi and approached him, Abhi murmuring a Hindu prayer and backing away until he hit the road barrier. A wild mane of blond hair briefly appeared on top of the demon's head as Caroline vaulted up, locking her legs around his neck and using her momentum to throw to the side, snapping the creature's neck.

She looked back to see the first creature pulling the pole from his chest with a sucking sound. Grabbing Abhi and whispering for him to hold on tight, she whisked away from the ancient well in retreat.


	3. Chapter 3

**PFWW/N: Here is a chapter because I hate New Years Eve and I wanted to get SOMETHING out this week. You're welcome, hopefully.**

 **Still not caught up on timelines here. Klaus is behind Caroline, but definitely gets closer to caught up in this chapter, which is New Orleans-centric and starts touching on some themes that I really wanted to explore. Not much in the way of action here, but a lot of different perspectives and progression.**

 **Hope you dig it. Let me know with a review, if you would. I love hearing from people!**

* * *

NEW ORLEANS, LA

Bonnie was still shaking with anger when she opened the door of the modest New Orleans home she shared with Grams.

"Don't you dare bring that hate in here, child. I could feel you from all 'way down the block. You best calm down before you kill my plants." Grams called from the living room, where a hard-backed dictionary and several crossword sections from the Times-Picayune were strewn across a card table set in front of the couch.

Bonnie took her time hanging up her military jacket, idly checking the pockets as a means of stalling and calming down.

Grams fixed Bonnie with a shrewd look as Bonnie turned to face her. "Do you want to tell me what Klaus did or just let it eat your insides up?"

Bonnie's jaw clenched, loosened before she replied. "How do you deal with it? Him killing innocent people? How do you live with it? I don't think i can."

"Oh child, it ain't easy, I know. Lemme tell you the way i see it." Grams patted the sofa beside her. "Come on, this is gonna be a long one. Actually, I'm gonna put on some milk. Gotta chill in my bones." Grams pushed herself off the couch with a small effort and shuffled into the kitchen before starting again. "Everyone who can think, who has a brain, from humans to werewolves to vampires, they all gonna have some bad apples." The gas burner lit with a hiss and a click, Grams setting a saucepan down on the flames. "So there's that. Some heads just ain't right to begin with. Then you look at power. You see how it changes people. Sometimes the best people got something in 'em that flips the switch to bad when they get a taste of power. Of getting what they want." The lid to the cocoa powder made a sucking noise, two spoonfuls, a pause. "You want cocoa?"

"I always want cocoa, Grams." Bonnie smiled, the anger starting to drain, sinking into her bones instead. Never forget.

"So you got the crazies and the ones who go bad at the first taste of power, which is a lot more than you think. Then you have another thing, and this is where supernatural folks start having a problem, if you ask me." Grams nodded at Bonnie. "You think about it now, being on this earth hundreds of years. You think you're a good person, but you see people live and die, you stop getting close to protect yourself, and you start losing what makes each day different. I haven't even lived 80 years and I feel it sometimes. The boredom." The wooden spoon scraped along the bottom of the pan as she stirred.

"You just see the same shit day in and day out." Grams took the spoon from the pot and leveled it at Bonnie's shocked face. "I'm an old lady, I can curse, you don't say a word, child. Anyways, you get like that, you need a reminder of what's what in the world. You're that reminder to me." She was still using her spoon as a pointer. Bonnie watched a drop of milk cling for dear life. "You what I got here and it keeps me right. Some people don't have that. You remember Agnes?" Bonnie grimaced in response. "She wasn't always like what she became, she just stopped caring, stopped seeing people as people. I saw it happening too. Still regret not speaking up." Quiet descended for a few minutes, both Grams and Bonnie lost in their own thoughts. Grams gave a start, shaking herself from her reverie before walking into the living room and handing a steaming mug to Bonnie, who took it with a smile.

Easing back into her seat on the sofa, Grams picked up where she had left off. "And then you've got the vamps. So you take what i just said about age, how it can change people. Add in that they're _predators_. Then remember that they live MUCH longer lives than most, if they don't get deliberately killed." Grams raised her brows, waggled a finger at Bonnie. "Now you think about being a vamp. That first kill you make, probably an accident. You're full of shame, don't know what to do." She paused for a long gulp of cocoa, bringing the mug to her mouth with both hands before smacking her lips in contentment. "You push it out your mind, 'cause you gotta live life and move on. Then it happens again, and maybe you think, 'I'm a monster'. But part of you likes it, because that's what you're made to do. You're made to kill, it feels good, you stop fighting it. You add all that up." Grams circled her finger in the air.

Bonnie quirked her lips. "I get what you mean, but then isn't it just better to just kill all the vampires?

"Who are _you_ to play god, decide what I say is the gospel truth? You think it's right to just kill em off before they become a problem? You be willing to give a death sentence to that sweet boy Josh because in 500 years he might not be as sweet? You gonna be the one to kill them? Have that on your conscience, have all that death do the same to you it did to them? And where does it stop, child? Gonna kill the wolves and witches too? Hmmph. It's like you didn't even listen." Grams shook her head sadly. Setting her mug down, she turned her whole body to face Bonnie, that piercing hawk gaze aimed straight and true.

"All we got in this world is how we carry ourselves. I made the pact with the Mikaelsons because I see a little bit of everyone in them. I see the power corrupted, I see the carelessness, and I see their desperate need. I never want it, but i see it, and I," Grams waved a hand at Bonnie, "and you too, we keep it in check. Cause there's something else coming up right behind if we don't." Grams smiled a moment. "What's that you kids say. Don't get it twisted?"

Bonnie shook her head as if pained. "Grams, please don't ever say that again. I mean ever."

Grams' wrestled her smile off her face and turned back to her crossword puzzle. "You feeling any better about that fool vampire now?

Bonnie sipped her cocoa, nodded. "You always know what to say, Grams. And cocoa always helps," she finished teasingly.

"Good. Now then, what's a six letter word for plans?"

* * *

A quick google search will lead you to theories and speculation on the existence of wolves in Louisiana. The red werewolf packs had done a pretty good job at hiding their tracks, but there's only so much one can do to keep away from humans on the outskirts of a major city. Werewolves like the night life, after all, and any given evening Bourbon Street is alive with them. Tonight, however, Klaus was in the mood for a run.

The shudder and slide of bones, tendons pulled taut and straining against their confines, releasing - Klaus took a moment to breathe a ragged breath, the eye of the storm. A heartbeat. Two. The true agony wasn 't in the snapping of bones, but rather this _shifting_ and stretching and no one is beyond this pain so it was ok to scream it out as a badge of honor. To his knees, the shoulders out of socket, don't worry, it'll just be a mo', the humerus shortened and thickened and the muscles compressed. His scream turned rougher and the lengthening jaw turned it into a howl. Klaus sat back on his haunches and scented the air. Pack was close.

Klaus glanced up and saw an image wavering in front of the great oak he planned on marking later. A human female, no scent. Wait. Faint scent. Good smell. She was staring, he did not sense fear but her eyes were wide. She slowly crouched down, bared her teeth, hand out. Klaus placed one paw then the next, slow in his approach. She _felt like pack_. He continued his snuffling approach, pawed at the air where she was but was not, a high whine in the back of his throat. Oh! Maybe it was a game! Rump high, head low, legs stretched out in front, Klaus wagged his tail once, twice before he pounced. He heard a raspy-voiced laugh as he scrabbled for purchase in the damp leaves. The whine returned with a hint of a growl. She spoke - human language. Her voice was soothing. He knew it was important to remember the sounds she made, so he concentrated hard.

"Don't be such a grumpypants." Klaus cocked his head in response. "Oh my god. I thought I was crazy at first but you totally have to be him. You're him aren't you? In wolf form?" A stiff-tailed wag was met with laughter. "Well, you're certainly sweeter like this. Wait. Do you understand me?" Klaus' head cocked more, tail wagging tentatively. "OK. So... God I wish i could pet you, you're SO fluffy." Something about her excitement had him backing away, letting out a small chuffed warning.

"Boof."

"Ok ok geez! Look. For the record I'm not trying to attack...more human you, I don't even know who the hell you are, ok? I'm trying to save my mom's life and this weirdo spell keeps sending me to you so it's like I have no clue so you can totally be a little nicer about it the next time. You got it?"

Before Klaus could growl she was fading, going, gone. He sniffed the spot where she was, where the faint scent of home lingered. He dug a bit with his paws, snuffled. His head raised, hearing a noise from somewhere in the forest and he ran off distracted; his loping, confident gait bringing him deeper into the woods.

* * *

"I'm busy, Rebekah." Klaus glanced at his palette, daubed some cadmium red with the tip of his brush. He had tried painting with blood once, but it tended to brown and flake with age, certainly not a vibrant medium to last the ages.

Rebekah's voice again interrupted his idle train of thought. "Nik, I think you'll want to listen to this. Marcel has been way too quiet these past few weeks."

Klaus raised his brows at Rebekah. "I'm well aware of Marcellus' movements. When he strikes, I'll simply crush him underfoot."

"Not if he has a white oak stake."

"Which he doesn't have."

"How sure are you?"

"If Marcel has gleaned the closely-guarded secret that white oak can bring about an Original's demise and then gathered it from a world that has been swept clean of said tree then I will refrain from placing you in a coffin for 2 centuries."

Well now. Klaus' dismissive tone wasn't going to stop Rebekah from a good barter. "Six."

"One..." Klaus had turned to face Rebekah, eyes narrowing with suspicion. "Actually, zero. What do you know Rebekah? Did you tell Marcel about white oak during a lovestruck dalliance?" He brought his palm out from under his chin in a flowery gesture, mocking. "Did you think holding confidence with dearest Marcellus would bring the love you so desperately crave? Did you endanger our family to assuage your insecurities?" Klaus all but spat the last words.

Rebekah was well-versed in the game; not a twitch of a well-groomed brow revealed her reaction. In a practiced, bored tone, she responded. "Don't pretend these aren't the same things that drive you, Nik. I won't have you mock me for that which you lick off the paws of your new 'packma-"

"ENOUGH!" Klaus roared, eyes yellowed with the rage of vampire and werewolf revealed. "Tell me why you are so concerned with Marcellus."

Rebekah stood her ground, replying stonily. "He _does_ know about white oak," she said with a raised chin and defiant glare, "but actually - I don't think that's it, or if it is it's not _all_ of it. He has shut me out lately, his attentions focused on some common blond bar trollop," Rebekah wrinkled her nose in distaste before rolling her eyes at Klaus' impatient growl. "But... from what I was able to gather, he has some sort of powerful magic on his side." Rebekah and Klaus' locked stares filled the space with tension a few moments more before Rebekah's words changed the air in the room.

"Always and forever sometimes takes the long path, Nik. I question why sometimes, but I'll never truly betray you."

Rebekah vamp-sped out of the room as if unable to remain in the same space as her confession. Klaus stood a few moments, eyes darting in thought, before he turned back to the canvas and picked up his brush anew. Marcel could wait, powerful magic or not. He was feeling particularly inspired.

* * *

MYSTIC FALLS, VA

"Hmm...I don't know any sort of creature with grey skin and red eyes. I'll ask Rastha, it may be some niche Asian creature something like that." Myrna's gruff voice sounded tinny coming through the laptop's speakers.

Caroline had resorted to staying close to home; the trips too unpredictable to chance driving to Richmond and disappearing from her car en route. Yeah, that would be a bad scene. So, Skype it was.

"Abhi's looking into it as well."

"Been meaning to ask you, how does he know so much? You said he's not a witch?" Myrna asked curiously.

"Yeah, no, he's not. His aunt was though, and she was also Zoroastrian, which is some really ancient religion with a bunch of its own myths. So he grew up with stories about vampires and Ahriman and other weird things." Caroline shook her head, pushed her bottom lip out in thought. Her bracelets clacked together as she readjusted her position on the couch. " I'm just...I don't know. I guess a spell really can't be lucky, but still, I'm so glad I met him."

"Right, the spell is definitely beating around the bush with getting you to the cure, but I have to assume it's by design. Any more trips to New Orleans?"

"Nope!" Caroline said almost brightly. "It's been a week. I'm beginning to hope it was just some really, really weird fluke. But I know it wasn't. Too many coincidences. Speaking of which - do you know how someone can be both a vampire and a werewolf?"

Myrna grimaced and pulled her round face back from the screen. "That's not possible. Werewolves die if they're killed with vampire blood in their system. And the werewolf gene is inherited, so it's not like you could be a vampire fir-"

"Oh! Abhi wanted me to ask about that! What's like," Caroline made finger quotes in the air., "the vampire origin story? Where do I come from? Stefan wasn't too clear on the details, said it was something way older than he had ever been able to dig up."

"What, there's no Vampire 101 class?" Myrna teased with a shocked expression. "Ehhh, Stefan's right, vampirism is very, very old. There's some debate on it too, but if you ask me my money's on Lamashtu." Myrna continued at Caroline's raised brow. "I'll email you some links. Ancient Babylonian goddess. Lovely woman, drank the blood of children, ate adults bones and all. No age discrimination, just that the kids were more tender I guess? I don't know, crazy gods are crazy." Myrna muttered, waving a hand dismissively.

"Anyways, there's no record of the first...spawn of Lamashtu, but I mean here we are." Myrna opened her arms wide. "Clearly vampirism is transmittable." She dipped her head down, looked up at Caroline through the screen with an almost apologetic expression. "I'm sorry, being tactless again. What were you, 17 when you were turned? Pretty sure you asked for none of that."

"Honestly? I'm a much better person as a vampire than I ever was as a human. It's made me grow up a bit. You kind of have to be mature about the fact that you could totally tear out the spinal cord of Alexa Bennett for taking the cheerleader captaincy." Caroline's eyes grew. "Did I say that out loud? Anyways, yeah. it's ok. Don't feel bad about it. Really." Caroline reached her hand out to comfort, hit the screen.

Myrna gave a short bark of laughter. "Remind me to tell you about the time I hexed a bully in gym class. Sometimes it's ok to use your power. Buuuuut," the corners of Myrna's mouth pulled down as she pretended to consider, "ripping out a spine may be a bit overkill."

* * *

NEW ORLEANS, LA

Klaus had taken to avoiding company, setting his plans in motion without the usual pomp and circumstance he normally reveled in and keeping his conversations short. He didn't want others noticing his distraction and using it to their advantage.

After seeing her in the forest, he had stopped considering the blonde a threat, and had turned the intensity of his thoughts to finding out who and where she was. His wolf senses simply didn't lie - there was something different about the girl, something that felt strangely akin to the pack bonds he felt in wolf form. And if he was being honest, finding the source of whatever magic this was in order to manipulate it for his own ends was _certainly_ an additional motivating factor.

This was definitely something he needed to keep under wraps as much as possible. Despite Rebekah's words of solidarity in the studio, he had refrained from telling her. Only Bonnie and Josh were a party to his obsession, having bore witness to his second encounter with the girl. Josh was harmless, and Bonnie was tractable as long as he kept slightly in line. The line was annoying, and he constantly skirted it, but he didn't want a war on his hands when subjugation was so much easier with a false smile.

He raised his hand to rap at the door of the witch in question when it opened inward with the screech of hinges desperate for an oiling.

"Bonnie's not here, Klaus. You'll just have to deal with me today." Grams' eyes were hard as she raised her chin to meet his gaze.

Klaus raised his brows in bemusement, clasping his hands behind his back. "Always a pleasure, Sheila. If you could tell me where your granddaughter is, we have business to attend to."

She blinked slowly at him, mouth drawn in a thin line. "Heard you killed that Labonair child. How's the pack feel about that, Klaus?"

Klaus' eyes hardened. "They feel just fine, Sheila. As the true alpha, the packs bend to my will. Just as the vampires do."

"And just as the witches do? Because if you think that, you've got another thing coming, Klaus Mikaelson. We may not be able to kill you, but we could certainly keep you from killing anyone else for a long, long time."

Klaus' eyebrows were still high on his forehead, somehow managing to appear amused and deferential all at once. "Now, Sheila, I wasn't _going_ to say witches. I have respect for your tradition, always have. My mother was a witch. Now, we have different views on the value of life, I'll grant you that." Klaus gestured towards Sheila before his gaze broke like a wave, yellow flashing through the irises. "But I will not stand for threats. Either you decide you want to try to subdue me now or we continue with the mutually beneficial arrangement that has worked for the past two centuries." With a graceful turn of heel, Klaus slowly walked away with a dismissive air.

"Tell Bonnie to stop by the mansion tonight. We need to talk."

* * *

Klaus saw the blonde three times in as many days. The first was when he glanced up from a conversation of veiled threats with Marcel. Cursing internally, Klaus had tried to maneuver out of the conversation, but it couldn't be done without his old protégé noticing something was off. Marcel had learned from the best, after all.

The second time, he had turned to grab a sponge to smooth out his brush strokes, and spotted her just inside the studio door. Her face was reverent, staring past him, and he turned to glance at the canvas, a moment of pride flashing across his face at her appreciation. And just like that, she was gone again, not even a moment to speak to her, try to find her location, her name, anything.

The third time he caught her as she was fading in and didn't waste any time.

"What is your name? Where are you? Who is the witch that is sending you here? Who else has seen you?" His rapid-fire questions were the same as at their second meeting, except this time his tone was different; frantic in the need to find her instead of the need to diffuse the threat.

Her responses were barely audible, even with his enhanced hearing. Only fragments of sound made it through.

"Car-"

A wary expression, clearing as she saw him relax.

"...wolf!" At this she clapped excitedly, her eyes dancing. Klaus ducked his chin with a grin in response.

"... my mom." Her expression grew troubled and he noticed her bite her lip, guessing it a distraction to ward back tears.

The pseudo-conversation continued with interrupted answers, Klaus gleaning more from the myriad of emotions playing across the blond's features than anything else. Her face still wasn't clear enough to read lips and he was beyond frustrated. Why could he hear her so well in the forest and now...this?

What he could make out though? Very clearly, and with a sense of horrifying certainty, Klaus recognized that he was completely and utterly intrigued. The blonde, as if sensing her work here was done, faded away in the sight of Klaus' consuming gaze.


	4. Chapter 4

**OK! Soooo this chapter was a pita for some reason and I wrote and rewrote it a couple of times. Hard lesson to learn that sometimes you just have to toss crap out if it sucks.**

 **This first scene is the fight scene from a previous chapter but from Klaus' POV this time. It's definitely inspired by the big Marcel/Klaus showdown from early on in TO. We are fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinaaallly catching the timelines up and next chapter will finish that so that everyone's in the same time, if not the same world :) Also, looking back on this, I was VERY heavily influenced by cbk1000, particularly for the moment where Klaus claims his acting prowess. If you haven't read cbk1000 i'd be shocked and then tell you that you should not be reading this fic, but reading hers instead.  
**

 **Points to anyone who spots the Hamilton reference. I'm so obsessed with that brilliant musical I couldn't help myself. Also, the mythology referenced here is a hodgepodge of Eastern/Sumerian/Macedonian/I don't even know.  
**

 **Let me know what you think, and thank you to everyone that is reading. It means a lot to me and I truly hope you are enjoying.  
**

* * *

NEW ORLEANS, LA

He hears them approach for a solid thirty minutes, listening to the whispered calls for position, the footfalls increasing in number as the sun's rays disappear. There's some shockingly incompetent rooftop scrabbling that has him a bit disappointed, truth be told. Klaus sets his scotch down with a clink of ice and prepares to put up some token resistance; he figures five is a good number to kill before he lets himself be subdued. After all, would he be a true mentor if he didn't teach Marcel that sense of crushing defeat that only comes from losing to someone you think you have beaten?

Sending a quick text, Klaus locks his phone and pauses in the doorway to the courtyard, considering. 'Ten. Ten including that incredibly irritating Diego character.' Klaus corrects his estimate, letting a cocky grin dimple a cheek before he jumps over the railing, landing in the center of the courtyard with arms clasped behind his back and brows raised in inquiry.

"I apologize for my lack of hospitality, but I must admit I wasn't expecting anyone this evening."

Marcel emerges from the shadows in response, demeanor composed and cool. He stops a few paces away from Klaus and inclines his head in greeting.

"Klaus." The tension gathers in the air as the two vampires stare, gazes unbreaking, before Marcel speaks anew.

"Some folks and I've been talking. That maybe it's time for your rule to draw to a close. That maybe a revolution is the idea for the times. And me?" Marcel slaps his chest with both hands, then extends his arms wide. "Maybe I'm the man for the same." Ever the showman, Marcel pauses for applause from the crowd that has steadily grown around the two vampires.

Klaus remains relaxed, his tone unconcerned. "You wish for a revolution, well then, permit me a revelation, Marcel. How do you propose to defeat me?"

Marcel's teeth flash in a grin before he begins circling Klaus, whose lips curl up at the corners as he watches his once-protégé. "Where you've made your mistake, Klaus, is in assuming that everything I know I've learned from you. Pretty arrogant, actually, but unsurprising." Marcel darts a glance to test Klaus' reaction and meets a sullen stare.

"So, there's a couple things I've learned outside the Klaus Boy Scout pledge of murder, intimidation, and threats." Marcel holds up two fingers in a mockery of the scout tradition, then lowers a finger to start ticking off points. "One - making friends with your community, instead of ruling by fear, is a much more effective way to gain loyalty." At this, the gathered host lets out a few catcalls and one very enthusiastic "Mar-CEL!" that's met with grins all around. A hand squeezes Marcel's shoulder in support.

A finger raises to match the first. "Two - finding out who needs support and giving it to them is a good way to gain said friends." The crowd surges, space clearing as a group of werewolves draws to the front, arms crossed and gazes menacing. "You've met the Crescent Wolf Clan, right?" Marcel brow furrows as he purses his lips in exaggerated thought, snapping his fingers. "Oh, yes, of _course_ you've met. You killed one of them last week." Marcel's hand comes down sharply, restraining a werewolf who had jumped at these words, clearly hell-bent on tearing Klaus apart.

Klaus' eyes narrow. He had spoken to the pack last week and had known they had not received the news of the Labonair girl's death well, but he is honestly surprised they had the guts to team up with Marcel. He really _has_ been distracted lately. Shoving the thought aside for later, Klaus bends in an elegant bow worthy of a courtier, arms spread exaggeratedly wide in mockery of welcome. He hears a low growl as he straightens, and knifes a hand through a werewolf's chest who has gotten too close. The sound of the lifeless body crumpling to the floor is loud in the suddenly quiet space. Klaus casually tosses the heart a few times, the room tracking the rise and fall with morbid fascination, before he throws the heart at Marcel's face.

Marcel snatches the organ out of the air before it strikes, unfazed. "Three - well, I _did_ learn this from you, to be fair. But it's a good lesson. _Always_ have backup." Marcel twirls his fingers in the air and a hissing chant fills the air.

'Witches hiding in the back' Klaus has the time to think before he falls to one knee, pain spearing through his head, the blood rushing to his brain and screaming in his ears. He regains his balance, pushing through the hot poker stab of pain to gather his thoughts. It is difficult to think through the agony, but not impossible. He's had years to practice, after all.

His vision is a red haze of blood vessels bursting and reforming as he reaches out. Tearing, pulling, punching, kicking, a roar echoing in his throat like a promise. The bodies begin to pile like sandbags below him, slowing the flow of attackers. He sees the experienced fighters taking his measure, sees faces new to battle flushed with uncertainty, the hard glint of Marcel's eyes, the surge of bodies that take him to the floor. He feels the cold iron snap around his wrists, the tearing of clothes and scratching of skin, the cheap shots from those whose bravado only comes with imminent victory. He marks their scents for later. His arms are pulled taut, secured to a heavy iron beam; he tests and feels the snap of magic strengthening the links. Snarling, he lets Marcel have a moment to feel like he's won, allowing a note of frustration and defeat to enter his eyes.

Marcel smiles, eager to showboat, opening his arms wide. "Now Klaus, I _know_ I can't kill you. But, I _can_ lock you away. I hear the Garden is lovely this time of forever." His quip is met with muted laughter from the much smaller crowd - humor is typically in short supply when you're surrounded by your friends' lifeless eyes. "Maybe you can take that time to think about the lessons you should have learned from _me_ , eh?"

Klaus surges against the chains, pulling up short as the links pull taut. He sags against the cuffs, letting them hold his weight as he paints the picture of helplessness. He is an _artist_ , allow him a bit of performance, _would you_? Slowly raising his head, Klaus levels his eyes at Marcel and, with diction to rival the stage greats, speaks a single word.

"Rubicon."

A commotion in the crowd. Hands raised just a moment ago to applaud Marcel's victory now turn to grasp witch's throats. The chanting stutters and stops, replaced by surprised shouts and confusion. A female werewolf looks pleadingly at a member of her own pack before she snaps his neck, tears rolling down her face, the compulsion impossible to fight.

Klaus lets the hybrid take over, snapping the chains with ease now that they're no longer strengthened by magic, and letting a low growl rise in his throat. He turns and his eyes skitter over the crowd and back, pausing for a fraction of a moment on a familiar blonde. She is here, in all her transparent glory. Watching him, with shock and revulsion warring on her face.

'Well then', he thinks darkly, 'I should really _earn_ that look, shouldn't I?' Snapping the chains against the floor Klaus lets a laugh bubble up from his chest as he eyes his next victim.

* * *

DELHI, INDIA

Caroline was glad to be headed back to the relative calm of Abhi's neighborhood after the chaos of Chandni Chowk. The shopping district was sheer bedlam, all raised voices and horns and smoke; telephone and cable lines criss-crossing overhead in an urban tree canopy. The afternoon sunlight that managed to fight its way through the smog seemed exhausted by the effort, a frail grey light illuminating the scene. She was glad that Abhi had been close by when she flashed in; while a part of her reveled in the life of the city, it was a bit of a culture shock from the small town pace of Mystic Falls. It was nice to have Abhi's calmness to ground her, she thought, sucking in a breath as an electric rickshaw careened by, inches away.

"She was _totally_ checking you out!" Caroline craned her neck to look back at the woman they had just passed. Abhi ducked his head in embarrassment and muttered a denial which only served to fan the flames. "What? You're a nice looking man, Abhi! Of course women look at you on the street! Look at those manly caterpillar brows! And your soulful eyes!"

Abhi was waving his hands frantically as if to fan away the words, his expression pained. "I know you mean well, my dear. But I am a married man. And...I am not sure how caterpillars are manly," he finished wonderingly.

"Oh. Oh! I'm so sorry. I didn't...well I _did_ mean to embarrass you. In a loving way. But I didn't...Wait, you're married? Why haven't I met your wife?!"

Abhi stared straight ahead as he responded, his voice stiff. "She died. But I still honor our vows."

Caroline looked up and caught the glassy sheen in his eyes. She wrapped an arm around his shoulders and gave a squeeze, kissing him on the cheek before stepping away. They walked in companionable silence as he collected himself. His voice was gruff when he spoke again.

"I am worried the creatures from the stepwell-" Abhi caught Caroline's eye and gave a small nod, "pishachas, my aunt's book tells me. I'm worried they will be able to trace me back to you somehow whenever I leave the house."

Caroline felt her stomach twist with dread, her words accelerating as her panic grew. "No. Nope. Nothing's gonna happen to you. Nope! I...you don't know what your help has meant to me, Abhi. Nothing can happen to you," she finished fiercely.

"Do not worry, my dear. My aunt protected this house when she lived here years ago. No one can enter unless I wish it. I will be safe here," Abhi raised his voice above the jangle of keys as he unlocked his front door. Caroline followed him through the entryway as they moved to the middle of the house and the courtyard she had grown rather fond of.

"Right, but you need to be able to leave your house and live your life. This is not cool." Caroline sighed and looked down, tracing a pattern in the tile idly with her foot. "So... when I broke open that wall, I didn't see much, but I KNOW the cure is there. It's...like I felt it, if that makes any sense. I need to go back and finish this. I need you to be safe. I need my _mom_ to be safe." Caroline's eyes were fierce as she met Abhi's gaze, his eyes crinkling in the corners with his forlorn smile.

"You can't go back to Agarsen ki Baoli without a plan. You can't kill the demons, and you don't know how many there are and what else is in there." Abhi's face was apologetic but firm. "Come, sit down. We will do this together. I wish to see this through."

Caroline was unconvinced but let it go for the moment, plopping down on a cushion and blowing her hair out of her face with a huff of frustration. "I'm still talking to Myrna when I go back. Maybe she can make some kind of amulet to hide you from them or something."

Abhi gave a short nod of acknowledgement before turning his attention to a book on the table. Caroline recognized the gilt edges, it was the same one that Abhi had read from before. "Did you find something?"

Humming in acknowledgment, Abhi flipped a few pages before his brows knit together in what Caroline liked to call his 'lecturer face'. "The creatures are called pishachas. They are flesh eating demons -"

Caroline clapped her hands. "Oooh yay! Sounds like fun!"

With a pointed glare at the interruption, Abhi began again. "A-hem. Flesh eating DEE-mons, pishachas feed off of human energy and can change shape at will. According to this, the first sighting of these creatures was…" Abhi paused, drawing his head back in confusion. Caroline raised her brows, intrigued, and motioned for him to continue. "Well...this is odd. They are mentioned in Hindu mythology, but didn't appear until mid-7th century CE. Which is very, very young for Hindu mythology." He nodded his head in a considering gesture. "Certainly not as young as vampires, but still."

"Oh, that reminds me! You had asked about vampirism in my world. Honestly? Nobody seems to know for sure, but Myrna sent me some stuff about some crazy demoness, Lamashtu, and I'm totally betting on her from what I read." Caroline shuddered in recollected horror.

Abhi had looked up at the name before turning back to the book and frantically turning pages, speaking quickly. "Vampires here have a _far_ different origin story. As I said, they are younger than the pishachas, and aren't even from this area - they're Nordic in descent." Abhi found the passage he was looking for and continued. "Turned by their mother, a very powerful witch in the 10th century."

"Ooook, so our origination story is different." Caroline tilted her head, narrowing her eyes. "What aren't you telling me, Abhi? What does all this mean? Seriously, I can take it, whatever it is. I need to know what I'm dealing with." Her eyes had softened, pleading, and Abhi couldn't seem to look away.

"You're one of the strongest people I've ever met, Miss Caroline. I have no doubt you can shoulder the burden. I was simply unsure if you would have to." Abhi sighed, rubbing his eyes before standing up abruptly. "Come! We spend all our time in this courtyard and my back grows weary of these chairs."

Caroline responded with a pout, kicking the table leg before getting up to follow. "But I _like_ the courtyard. It's so pretty!"

* * *

NEW ORLEANS

A solid week and Klaus had only seen his blonde spectre as a pale reflection on canvas. The fireplace crackled, flames licking his latest attempt at her likeness, the acrid scent of burnt linseed oil filling the air. Rebekah had tried to pretend she wasn't interested in whatever it was he was burning, but Klaus saw right through her and thwarted her attempts to pull the canvas from the fire.

The week had been a whirlwind of activity, with Klaus shoring up his position fresh from his brutal victory. Hard eyes and clenched jaws hiding words unspoken had met most of his efforts, and sabotaging the vervain supply for convenient compulsions would be _much_ more difficult now, but there was no doubt that his reputation as the most powerful creature in New Orleans had only been re-established by the battle with his erstwhile protégé.

Simply put? Marcel had shown his hand and had almost lost it. Klaus grinned at his own wit for a moment before the curve of his mouth sloped down again. His thoughts kept returning to _her_. He wasn't used to caring about someone's reaction, yet the look in her eyes as she huddled against the wall, that way she looked at him? He was confused and angered by the hot flush of shame, the low pang deep in his belly of what suspiciously felt like guilt.

It was enraging - he knew _nothing_ about this girl other than that she was beautiful, feisty, under the influence of a mysterious spell, and that his wolf was rather insistent that she play a part in his life. It didn't make sense that his thoughts were dominated by her and her alone. Snarling in frustration, he left the fireplace to burn its offering and sought out Bonnie. Perhaps she had made progress with finding the girl.

* * *

DELHI

Caroline and Abhi sat at barstools in the kitchen, drinking chai Abhi had warmed on the stove.

"Oh my gooooooooodd Abhi, this is delicious! This is nothing like that Oprah chai tea thing at Starbucks!"

Abhi shuddered, holding his hand up as if to ward Caroline's words away. "No, no. Promise me you will never drink that again. Please. If you learn anything from me, anything at all, let it be how to make real chai."

Caroline gave a laugh and nudged him with a shoulder. "I promise. So, delicious tea aside, what's the story, Abhi? Why did you want to know about Lamashtu? How does this all tie to my mom and the cure?

"Well, I think the cure is just the vehicle that has carried you across worlds. What I'm worried about, though, is that passage I read to you about crossing between worlds. I think it was about your demon goddess. The wording of it - felt very specific to a vampire." Abhi ineffectually rubbed at a spot on the laminate as he spoke.

"I said before I do not believe in coincidences, and I have been pondering over why you came to me, and why I happened to know that particular story. And now learning about Lamashtu? I feel my aunt guiding me from the higher worlds. It is hard to explain." Abhi paused and drummed his fingers on the counter in thought until Caroline poked his arm.

"Sorry. As I was saying, someone - the ancients referred to in the passage - came to this world to gather strength and find a weapon against a dark force. Lamashtu," he nodded his head at Caroline. "Obviously they succeeded, but, the way the passage reads, something escaped, came back here. I think it was the pishachas, the crimson tide of their eyes." Abhi shuddered.

Caroline held a hand up. "Ok. Wow. Wait. So you think the grey dudes are actually from my world and that's why they appeared so suddenly in yours back in the day. Gotcha, I'm following you so far, but what does this have to do with the first vampires in this world?"

"They are nothing more than proof that Lamashtu isn't a part of this world." He spat the words out as if they were poison, Caroline drawing back in alarm. She watched as something dark flashed behind his eyes and a thick silence sank over the room before settling into awkwardness. Abhi stood abruptly and picked up Caroline's empty chai cup, walking to the sink. Over the sound of the faucet Abhi spoke again.

"You should ask your friend Myrna for help for _you_ , not for me. You need spellwork to keep you safe so that you can retrieve the cure." Abhi finished rinsing the cup and shut off the faucet, turning away from Caroline and speaking to the floor. His dark mood was a visible weight, sinking into the lines around his eyes and deepening the folds of his mouth. "I cannot be of much help here. My aunt was the one with power, though it was limited."

Caroline stood and walked over to Abhi, turning him to face her and moving her head down to meet his eyes when he stubbornly refused to look at her. "Hey. I...I don't know what's wrong or what changed in the last few minutes, but I... You've been a rock for me since this whole thing started. Look, you chose to believe in me _,_ a vampire Barbie who appeared in thin air in the middle of your house while you were eating breakfast. I mean, at this point you could stab me in the leg and I'd still be like 'Abhi's the best ever!'" Caroline waved her arms in a cheer. "So, sorry, Abhi, but you're stuck with me. I'm not gonna just drop you and you're gonna have to learn to deal with it. OK? Ok." Caroline nodded her head firmly and then did a doubletake as she spotted the saucepan steaming on the stove. "Wait there's more chai? Why didn't you tell me?!"

* * *

NEW ORLEANS

"Damn it, my fries are gonna get col-" Caroline stopped mid-sentence, turning slowly in the room she had just appeared in, taking in the dark paneling, the beveled glass doors of an expensive-looking bookcase, the blond curls, the week-old scruff. "Oh. Oh no. Not here. Not you. I was supposed to be done with you."

Klaus recovered from his shock quickly, setting down the book of poetry he had been reading and rising to his feet. "Not quite the reaction I hope for, but I'm willing to overlook, due to this surprising opportunity to hear your voice so clearly." His wolf clawed inside, insistent, and Caroline seemed to feel it, taking an involuntary step back before standing her ground with flashing eyes.

"Just tell me why I keep coming to you here in," Caroline squinted, cocking her head, "New Orleans, right? Ooh! Are we on Bourbon Street?" Caroline headed to the window of the study, craning her neck to look past the yard. "Never mind, it doesn't matter." Caroline shook her head with a sigh. "What do you have to do with curing my mom?"

Klaus hid his bewilderment well. A thousand years had taught him that a good poker face lent a huge advantage over your opponent. And everyone was an opponent. "I can't say I know for sure. You'd have to tell me more. What spell you used, who cast it, what your plans are, your hopes, your dreams," he finished with an impish grin.

Caroline looked at him like he was crazy. "OK look, let's get things straight. I saw you, covered in blood, surrounded by bodies, and in the process of killing more. We're not friends. Just..." Her face shifted, turning fierce. "I will do anything to help my mom, and it seems like you're a part of", she waved her hand in a circle to illustrate, "whatever this is. So I'm telling you the deets but just know that I _really_ don't want to and as soon as we're done with whatever you're out of my life. Got it?" Caroline looked up to see Klaus struggling to hold in his laughter. "Are you kidding me? If you're not going to take this seriously…" Caroline turned away, prepared to stomp off and figure this out on her own, spell or no spell.

"Wait!" Klaus' voice was more plea than order and it surprised him, so much so that it took a moment to register that his hand had reached out and caught her wrist in its grip. He looked down to where they touched, then back up again to meet her eyes. Something in his gaze made her breath catch, the tension building like an ocean's swell until the wave of it broke with Caroline's tentative question:

"Do I... feel like cheese?" Caroline squeezed her eyes shut tight and grimaced. Really? Did she really just say that?

Klaus' face underwent a series of contortions as he tried to process her words. He drew in a breath, appearing to consider what to say; his lips parted, closed. "Well, love, I can't say I have ever heard that question in all of my years."

"How many years _is_ that? You talk like you're ninety." Caroline wasn't beneath seizing the opportunity to deflect her own embarrassment.

Klaus' smile dimpled his cheeks and Caroline cursed internally. Apparently, dimples were her weakness. Well, along with nachos. And color coding.

"I'm an Original, sweetheart. My family has been around for a thousand years." Klaus saw her eyes widen in response. "You seem rather young, yourself."

"Well, I mean I'm forever seventeen. Which honestly I wonder about because I was reading this article about how your brain doesn't fully form until you're like 25. So -"

Klaus' grin twitched as he listened to her ramble. He let go of her wrist and reached up to touch her hair, fingering a blond curl. Caroline's voice faltered for a moment before she reared back, fixing him with an offended look.

"Um...boundaries much? We're not friends, weird spell connection thing or not."

Klaus' stare was unnerving in response. She had never felt anything like it - there was something more than the expected heat of attraction, something...special. An intensity of focus, like he couldn't stop looking at her and had no desire to even try. She watched as a small smile played on those perfect lips on his stupid, perfect face. Nope nope nope. Her thoughts were totally not going there, she had totally meant what she said earlier.

Klaus watched her internal struggle and wet his lips, saw her eyes drift to his mouth. "Well, perhaps we can work up to friends. My name is Klaus." He gave a small bow that sent Caroline's eyes skyward before she sighed a response.

"Caroline. I'd say nice to meet you but...yeah." She played with a button on her cardigan while trying to decide what to say next, but it seemed the spell had other ideas. Honestly, she was a bit relieved to see the floor through her hands, the transparency signalling a jump back to Mystic Falls. "Glad we got the name thing over -"

"-with. Caroline appeared at her desk in front of her mom, who jumped back in alarm, hand scrabbling at her hip where her holster customarily sat.

"Caroline?! Oh my god, honey, if I'd been armed I would have shot you." Liz's eyes narrowed as the shock wore. "You weren't there a second ago, and I didn't feel a breeze.…" Kneeling down, Liz brought her eyes level with Caroline, laying a hand on her shoulder, searching Caroline's face for answers before she drew in breath to speak.

In a panic, Caroline deflected. "Mom? What were you doing in my room?"

At this, Liz had the grace to appear sheepish, rubbing the back of her neck with a grimace. "I was snooping. I'm sorry, I trust you, you _know_ that. But Matt called and said he hadn't seen you for over a month and he's worried about you, and now _I'm_ worried about you. I thought you had been hanging out with him and Elena all this time." Liz's voice shifted from concerned to demanding in a heartbeat. "You're either holed up here in your room or who-knows-where and you're going to tell me where that is right now Caroline Elizabeth Forbes." Her mom's face had adopted the 'questioning a suspect' look and Caroline knew she'd have to come clean.

Rolling her eyes in the time-honored tradition of daughters annoyed by their moms, Caroline poked at her plate of now-lukewarm fries and began talking. To be honest, it was a huge relief to not have to hide all this stuff anymore, and even if her mom lectured her for twenty minutes about not taking matters into her own hands, she had that sappy look on her face while doing it. Which meant she wasn't _really_ mad. Caroline felt a bit of the weight she carried uncurling from around her shoulders, lifting up and spreading its wings, fluttering off with a soft sigh. She even told her mom about Klaus, pointedly ignoring when her mom gave her a searching look. "It's just frustrating. I was really hoping this finding a cure thing would go faster. I...I don't know." Caroline trailed off. It was one thing to talk about crazy charcoal-skinned demons and vampires and magic spells, another to face that fear, lodged deep in her gut, that she wouldn't find the cure in time.

Liz sensed the change in mood and reached out to rub Caroline's back and all of a sudden Caroline was six years old again; muscle memory was a powerful force. Caroline leaned against her mom for a moment, letting go to bask in the comfort. Wiping away a tear that was threatening to escape, Caroline sniffled and abruptly straightened in alarm.

"Mom, what's burning?"

"Oh my god, the brownies."

"Brownies? You never cook. You really _were_ worried about me," Caroline crowed, racing down the stairs. She opened the oven door to billowing black smoke, grabbing the pan with a pot holder and flinging open the back door to toss the smoking mass on the patio.

Her mom joined her at the door, lips tight and shoulders shaking until Caroline broke the silence with a burst of laughter.

And so the two Forbes women stood, watching the almost forlorn brownie pan smoke in the crisp winter air, sobbing with laughter until their stomachs ached with the effort.


	5. Chapter 5

**Short chapter, but it ends right as Chapter 1 is about to begin. I wrote more but I realized i was trying to fill up word count vs. do something appropriate for the story. Another lesson learned :)**

 **Just a trigger warning - there is mention of physical abuse in Rebekah's flashback. Her scene starts off this chapter, and it will be obvious when it flashes back - please skip those two paragraphs if it is something you are not comfortable with.**

 **Again, fully catching up timelines with this chapter, and Caroline and Klaus will have some direct action very very soon.**

 **Thanks for reading as always, and I hope you enjoy.**

* * *

It was going to be close to impossible to wipe the self-satisfied smirk off of Rebekah's face. She knew Klaus had been distracted lately, but she had had no inkling that it was over a _girl._ Laughter threatened to escape and she spent a moment trying to school her features to a composed mask. She was deep in the Quarter and too many unfriendly eyes were about to notice more than they should.

She mulled over what she had just learned in conversation with Klaus' vampire lackey, what was his name? Something with a J? Whatever. He had been more than willing to bring Rebekah into the conspiracy, telling her about Klaus' obsession with finding the girl and the spell. J couldn't resist a good gossip, Rebekah mused.

'Oh how the mighty have fallen,' she thought, her smirk growing wider despite her caution. She considered her options, thinking of the times through the centuries when Klaus had interfered in her own love life.

Well, that really was putting it mildly, wasn't it? She couldn't remember a single paramour who hadn't met an unfortunate end at Klaus' hand. All in the name of protection, of paranoia, underpinned by that twisted big brother's love because 'he was not worth a tenth of you, Bekah', turning over the centuries to derisive judgments of her character.

Yet somehow she still hadn't shed the skin of the true romantic. That was something in your heart, perhaps put there by the first loving touch of mother's thumb on your brow, by the deep timbre of father's voice, by the smiles and applause as you took your bows from a dramatic retelling of your brother's antics. Minus Klaus, that is. You could still remember father's face whenever Klaus was even mentioned, much less around to bear the venom of that gaze. That closed off expression, skin mottling an angry red as his eyes hardened and jaw tightened. The nervous swallow as you waited to see what happened next, tiny hands twisting the fabric of your homespun dress.

You had seen so much, had seen Klaus try to make himself smaller, inconspicuous, don't see me father I'm not here no I didn't spill anything on the floor that was 'Lijah and _don't you tattle boy and_ the red weals underneath his shirt. You had felt him flinch at your exuberant hug, had pulled down his shirt amidst his protestations, touched the ugly mark on his chest, skin burnt and scarred. Centuries later you had watched as he had tattooed over the scar, again and again until the body no longer recognized the ink as a thing to be healed. Again and again to cover that mark, that scar, cast long before their new selves had been borne of a mother's twisted love.

Rebekah paused in front of a corner house, arched doorways and wrought iron balcony signalling she had returned to the Mikaelson home. Feeling a bit peckish and wanting some more time with her thoughts, she passed the building, cocking her head to hear the rasp of graphite on paper. Ah, he was home. Rebekah wondered how long it would take him to burn _this_ one in effigy.

She shook away the idle thought as she continued, passing underneath a hotel balcony where a group of frat boys were pre-gaming with shots of cheap vodka. The acrid smell stung her nostrils and she made a moue of distaste. Back to the real question for now. What to do? To sabotage his interest, or to foster it? Should she find this girl first, hold her heart in her freshly manicured hands, feel how it continued to pump as it tore from the chest? Should she see it instead as an opportunity for one of them to unlock the chains that weighted them all, her brothers and her, sunk in the ocean's depths, calling like sirens from their red sea? You'll have to forgive her a moment's poetry. Klaus was not the only one to inherit an artist's eye, she was just less _obvious_ about it.

During her vampire adolescence there had been no Cosmo with a quiz to fill out - 'Is he _really_ into you?' No friends' hushed giggling as she twined the phone cord around a finger, no texts filled with winking and heart eyes emojis. There had only been Klaus, deeming her suitors inappropriate, unworthy, beneath all notice. She had come to agree with his opinion if not his methods. So perhaps...perhaps that was the _real_ question. Was this blonde girl worth his time? She doubted it, her step stuttering with a frisson of shock as she recognized just how Klaus might have felt observing each of her lovers.

Well then, regardless, at least this girl was something new and different. Rebekah had been growing increasingly bored of late and welcomed the distraction, even if it would be a short-lived one. Turning around, Rebekah began walking back to the mansion, stopping below the vodka-soaked frat boys and flashing up to spirit the cutest one away. He'd taste horrible, but it would be better than the sugary sweet Hurricane-laced blood of the other tourists, and he was ripped underneath that atrocious plaid button-down. Maybe she'd play with him a bit before drinking him dry.

* * *

"You seem pretty eager." Bonnie says to Klaus' back, the hybrid having already turned to head upstairs to the study seconds after opening the door.

Klaus circles a finger in the air as he approaches the stairs. "You're wasting time, witch. Come, let's find our blonde friend." He holds Caroline's name close, unwilling to give it up, the possessiveness an unwelcome flare firing in his chest.

Bonnie narrows her eyes at Klaus' impatience and sighs, adopting an almost leisurely pace up the stairs to spite him. She meets his clenched jaw at the door to the study and unshoulders her bag, rummaging through it before pulling out a blade and setting it with care on the table. There is a reverence in this, in that hush before the spell is cast, when energy seems to gather in the air in anticipation of serving her will. Magic is absolutely addictive, even if the spell hangovers leave her useless for days.

Klaus sees her nodding at the blade with her chin and sits down across from her, hefting the knife before drawing it across his palm in a deep cut to let the blood flow longer. The scent of iron tickles his nose as Bonnie picks up the hair he's pointed out and touches it to his dripping palm. His fingers close and the golden shine dulls as the dark blood slinks down the hair's length before softly spotting the table's face.

Closing her eyes and murmuring softly, Bonnie lets the magic grow. It starts as a chill on the back of the neck, gooseflesh raising as the magic courses through her limbs with an icy shock. It is the monster that eats its own tail, the beginning and the end cycling back upon itself; building, building, building and spreading outwards until she feels it, a _shove_ , and oh - this is no simple locator spell.

Something is pushing back.

"Phasmatos Tribum Nas Ex Veras," her voice spirals up and Klaus sees the blood begin to trickle from her nose.

"What is taking so long?" Klaus snarls, patience wearing thin.

Bonnie is too caught in the magic to respond, pushing against the resistance, gaining traction then losing it. She has a brief moment to think that she might be in too deep and uses the fear to ground her. She barely feels the wind cycloning in the study as she grits her teeth and shoves at the table, at the same time pushing with her mind. A heartbeat passes. Two. The chaos seems reluctant to stop and hangs for another moment in the air before collapsing with an inhuman shriek and the smell of burnt hair. The room quiets and she hears Klaus' sharp inhale, the screech of a chair being pushed back. Opening her eyes, she meets Klaus' smirking grin as he places his palms on the table and leans deep.

"Pack your bags, witch. We're headed to the Jewel in the Crown."

* * *

MINUTES EARLIER - MYSTIC FALLS

Caroline hangs up her peacoat, brushing off dog hair she had picked up at Matt's house. He had adopted an adorable German Shepherd mix who totally wanted to bite Caroline's face off. Sometimes being a vampire really sucked. Anyways, it had been nice to catch up with Matt - he had always been a constant in her life, from childhood to high-school hookups and back to friends. Sometimes you just didn't have enough chemistry with someone no matter how much you wanted to.

Caroline pulls out a blood bag from the minifridge she'd bought with money earned from temping the past few summers, popping the seal with a practiced fang. She sips on B positive while she sorts the mail and tidies up the kitchen, dumping out a tupperware container of old leftovers. Seriously, how had she not smelled that?

It had been a calm, uneventful day. Which meant she was kinda bored and almost welcomed the now-familiar pulling sensation low in her gut. Except this time it was violent, like a hook snagging her insides. Ow. What. The. Hell.

Caroline bends over, clutching at her stomach and heaving a few gasping breaths before she's even able to look around. Hmm...She's inside the Red Fort, recognizing the stilted onion domes that always remind her of boobs. Taking a few steps outside the scalloped archways of the inner hall, Caroline heads towards one of the gates. There's a biting wind driving away the fog at the base of the red sandstone walls and Caroline shivers, pulling the hood of her sweater up. Why couldn't the spell have had her cross worlds while she still had her stupid coat on? It isn't as cold as Mystic Falls by any stretch of the imagination, but it's cold enough with that wind whipping around buildings and finding the holes in her sweater.

Head down against against a particularly strong gust, she doesn't catch the face that appears for just a moment in the fog, misses the glint of recognition as he sees both her and the telltale landmark of the centuries-old Mughal fort.

She pauses at the inner gate, back resting against a wall she gives a pat of thanks to for blocking the worst of the wind's gusts. In the distance, the blare of car horns seems even more chaotic than usual, low visibility from the fog no doubt wreaking havoc on the city's streets.

She still has a twitch in her gut from the violent crossover and presses her hand against the ache, the pain so similar to that of a cramp that she, for a moment, sighs with annoyance. Until she remembers that vampires don't have periods. _That_ whole can of worms was still something she was processing, to be honest.

Caroline pushes off the wall as if to leave the thoughts behind. She'll have plenty of time to think of her own life once she saves her mom's. To her surprise, she feels the tug of a return trip. _Wait what? I just got here?_ she thinks before fading away and returning to the warmth of the kitchen she had left moments ago.

* * *

NEW ORLEANS - Lakefront Airport

Bonnie snorted at Josh's pained expression as he stumbled around the corner of the airport outbuilding, Rebekah's steamer trunk in tow.

"Booooooooniieeee why does Rebekah have so much stuff? Do you have a spell for lifting stuff?"

"Dude. You're a vampire. It can't be _that_ heavy."

"You don't under _stand_. Or wait, maybe you do." Josh squinted at Bonnie, trying to read her face. "Is it possible to cast a spell to make every piece of clothing in here weigh four thousand pounds? Roughly?"

Bonnie raised her eyes skyward and shook her head, huffing out a laugh before heading up the staircase affixed to the private jet's door. "Come on, I saved the co-pilots seat for you so you can pretend you're flying and make laser shooting noises."

"Oh, Bonnie. You know me so well." Josh grinned and ducked under the wing, thunking the steamer trunk down on a conveyor leading to the baggage area of the plane. He scrambled inside the cabin, checking out the interior. Klaus was already on board, limbs arranged in a regal slouch on a captain's chair.

"Is Rebekah on board? We ready to go?"

Klaus leaned forward, steepled his hands in front of his face, and made a tutting noise. "Josh. You are a vampire. At some point, and _please_ let it be soon, for my patience wears thin, you will discover that you have heightened senses and can see, smell, and hear someone coming from a half a league away." Klaus' words dripped with sarcasm as he continued. "As you clearly struggle with your power, allow me to answer -"

"Your humor is tedious, Nik. I hope you have better entertainments planned for the trip." Rebekah interrupted, breezing in the cabin and thrusting a valise in Josh's arms despite his protestations. Sitting down primly on the edge of the seat adjacent to Klaus, Rebekah stared at Josh until he gave a start and handed back the small suitcase.

"Funny thing, sister, I don't recall actually asking you to join us."

"You didn't, but I've already forgiven your rudeness." Rebekah patted Klaus' leg mildly. His jaw twitched. "I'm quite sure you'll need my help when a situation requiring finesse arises. Besides, it's been ages since I've had a good curry."

Klaus eyed Rebekah with a calculating look before turning and nodding at a trim, brunette stewardess, signalling they were ready for takeoff. With a bright smile, the stewardess - PAM the name tag read - turned and sashayed up the aisle. The extra wiggle was clearly for Klaus' benefit and Rebekah rolled her eyes at the tedium of it all.

"I do hope there's less trollop-y snacks on board."

Klaus' long-suffering sigh accompanied an ascending whine as the engines prepped for takeoff. The plane taxied to the runway and bumped over the tarmac, engines roaring as the jet gathered speed. Bonnie, ensconced in a comfy chair in the back of the cabin, gave a small smile at Josh's joyous whoop from the cockpit as the plane lifted off and shot into the ether.

* * *

DELHI, INDIA

Caroline had left Abhi a few hours ago, wrapping his hand around a gold ring Myrna had ensorcelled with a cloaking spell. Caroline and the witch had strategized over Skype for several hours, coming up with some plans for the infiltration of Agrasen ki Baoli. Myrna had even driven down from Richmond in an ancient Volkswagen bus, handing Caroline several magical items, some gathered over the years and some specifically made for Caroline. There was the cloaking charm for Abhi, a couple of flame charms, and some illusory magic that she hoped would get her past the pishachas and straight to the cure.

Caroline was actually doing some reconnaissance of the step-well now, a quick dip in and out of the area to see if she could spot if security had been beefed up and to get a general lay of the land. Last time she hadn't really had a chance to check the outside much, missing the stairs entirely as Abhi had laughingly told her later. She knew she needed to do this before she made a full-on attempt to recover the cure, but she was admittedly nervous. The last thing she needed was to get caught - or worse - lead one of the grey dudes back to Abhi's house.

Old Delhi was so weird, Caroline thought as she crossed over the wide, almost empty streets. Mansion-like bungalows loomed over the street, set back on top of low hills swathed with green despite the season. Other than the sound of central heating chasing away the winter chill, and the brr-brip of an expensive car lock, silence was dominant. Yet just ten blocks away, vegetable sellers hawked their wares as old women in saris waved money from second story windows, mopeds brrrappped their way through narrow streets, narrowly missing tourists bent over examining a cloth merchant's wares. The contrast was insane.

Delhi in general seemed about contrasts, like the modernity of glass and towering metal next to a crumbling, largely ignored ancient ruin. Agrasen ki Baoli was a perfect example - for real, the step-well would be enclosed in plastic with DO NOT TOUCH signs all over it if it were in the U.S.; complete with an overweight, bored security guard watching over, no less. She'd take the guard over the pishachas any day, but no one had asked her.

Now only a hundred feet away from the baoli, Caroline peered around the trunk of the peelu tree she was using as cover. She had watched a ton of spy movies, ok? Spotting movement, she ducked her head back, cursing under her breath for not remembering to tie her blonde hair back. It was pretty much a dead giveaway if someone happened to look her way. She slowly edged herself out and saw a hulking grey figure urgently addressing a group of men. Caroline held unnecessary breath, watching as the men nodded at the pishacha before peeling off in different directions, thankfully none headed her way.

The grey figure turned her way, head seeming to pause for a moment at her tree before moving past, or maybe that was just her paranoia. The demon's head cocked sharply as a second voice growled in a guttural language, finally turning bodily towards the well and disappearing below the line of the steps.

Caroline exhaled, waiting a beat before leaving the safety of the peelu tree and circling around the step-well from another angle. So...two of those grey dudes - she had recognized the timbre of that second voice if not the language. Two of them, and six... men or weres or whatever, she wasn't too sure. Ugh...she really had been hoping the two demons were acting alone, but she wasn't honestly surprised and it was part of why she asked Myrna for the bag of tricks. Which she couldn't wait to use, by the way. She definitely needed to do some test runs to make sure she understood how everything worked and then work with Abhi to finalize the plan. He seemed off, like their last conversation was still troubling him, so she hoped involving him in the planning would bring him back, or at least allow him to open up about whatever it was that was bothering him.

Now on the side of the well she had swung down on her last visit, Caroline crouched low, using a stunted bush as cover. Hmm...there were actually a few evergreen trees close up to the well that might help hide her approach, she mused. She spent another twenty minutes cataloguing the landscape, the noises, almost vaulting backwards in panic when one of the pishacha's voices once more broke the relative silence.

The shock brought her back to reality. OK. She had been at this for too long and it was time to head back to the safety of Abhi's. She chose a circuitous route to lose anyone that might be following (spy movies, remember?), ending up heading through the afternoon bustle of Sadar Bazaar, remembering to buy a beanie cap for her next reconnaissance mission. She was distracted, her mind narrowing in to focus on just one thought:

A few days, maybe a week and she'd be ready. Nothing was going to stop her from getting that cure. Nothing.


	6. Chapter 6

**PFWW/N:** **Winter really, really sucks. For anyone that struggles with depression or anxiety, and who may have stronger outbreaks during the winter, I feel you. Feel free to come babble at me anytime, any season, on tumblr or by sending a message here. I'll do my best to listen, if that's what you need. Or sometimes it just helps to know that others go through the same shit you do, so here's me saying that I 100% go through it.**

 **OK I needed to say that, but with that out of the way, there were some things I really loved writing in this chapter. I really think Bonnie, much like Caroline, was often shafted during the time I actually watched TVD pre-shitshow, so I'm having a lot of fun with her character. I hope you like those parts as much as i enjoyed writing them. Also Josh is adorable and one of the only things I liked from TO.**

 **Please excuse my Google translate Hindi (and let me know if you'd like to properly translate it, I'll happily edit). And lastly, enjoy, please stop by and let me know what you think. I still have no idea what I'm doing, but I'm trying. Warnings for gore/violence**

* * *

Abhi was fiddling with the antenna of an ancient television set perched on the kitchen counter when Caroline walked in, slipping her copy of the house key in her bag. Static prevailed until Abhi gave the TV a disgruntled thwack, rapid Hindi filling the air as if escaping from a balloon. The occasional English word threw Caroline for a loop like it always did hearing Hindi - it wasn't quite enough to understand the context of the conversation, but was _just_ enough to make her strain to try.

Abhi's eyes were glued to the screen, lips silently moving as he read the news footer scrolling underneath the reporter. Caroline walked around the table to peer over Abhi's shoulder, spotting a petite woman reporting from outside a vaguely familiar-looking storefront. She squinted in concentration; gaze roving over the police vehicles, the ambulances, the crowds being held back by caution tape, finally spotting a flapping tarp bearing a cartoon cell phone. Oh! It was the store she had used to call Abhi from, the one with that super grumpy store owner. Caroline was about to ask what was going on when the broadcast switched to the news station feed. The female anchor appeared next to a small inset showing a still from a grainy cell phone video.

 _ek padosee Gaffar mobile ke baahar sandigdh logon ke ek samooh ko dekha aur jaisa ki aap dekh rahe hain ke baare footage kee gaee.  
_ (A neighbor noticed a group of suspicious men outside Gaffar mobile and recorded the footage you're about to see.)

 _krpaya dhyaan rakhen. yah drshy bachchon ke lie nahin hai aur bahut graphic, vaastavik hinsa se pata chalata hai.  
_ (Please take care. This scene is not for children and shows extremely graphic violence.)

The video expanded to fill the whole screen and Caroline watched four men gathered outside the shopfront. There was something _off_ about them all, a certain tenseness in their movements. One of the men finished a bidi, tossing the cigarette into the street, and the rest gathered close as if huddling to hear a whispered confidence.

The footage continued in this fashion for around ten more seconds, and just as Caroline was ready to turn away out of boredom, the scene changed. In less than a blink, the men had disappeared. Well, not completely. One man's headless body continued to lean over, as if still waiting to hear the next part of the plan, before the knees buckled lifelessly and the body hit the shopfront wall, sliding down. Caroline's enhanced vision was just able to make out the arterial blood spray painting the wall in rhythmic bursts. She made a horrified sound to accompany Abhi's sharp inhale as the camera's frame filled with a man clutching at his neck, his hands dropping to reveal a clear bite mark before the camera shook and upended itself once, twice, finally settling on an uninterrupted view of a watery blue sky criss-crossed with telephone wires. The newscaster's face filled the screen once again, remnants of horror in her eyes as she made a noble effort at trying to compose her features. She cleared her throat.

 _purushon kee pahachaan nahin kee hai. Delhi Police sakriy roop se suraag ka peechha karate hue aur chaahate hain ki aap mobile Gaffar ne is ghatana par koee jaanakaaree nahin hai , unhen par sampark karen No. 1090. karane ke lie kar rahe hain  
_ (The men have not been identified. Delhi Police are actively chasing leads and ask that if you have any information on the Gaffar mobile incident, to please contact them at phone number 1090.)

The screen expanded again to show still shots of the cell phone footage before the scene had reached its grisly end. Caroline gave a small gasp of recognition.

"That's one of the guys...wait, no, those are _all_ of the guys I saw outside Agrasen ki baoli the other day. I mean I wasn't super close but I'd bet money on it." Caroline was already standing up, walking across to grab her coat off the stand next to the door. "I need to find out what's going on and see if Klaus is involved."

"Wait." Caroline turned back at Abhi's request, the newscaster's voice continuing to drone in the background as she took in his ashen face. His hands were shaking, and he held them outstretched in an unspoken request. She walked over and put her hands in his, his stubby fingers wrapping around hers and squeezing. That was Abhi to the last, trying to offer comfort amidst his own emotions. "Do you really think it is him?"

"It seems violent enough for him," Caroline replied drily. "What I don't get is why he's involved with those guys, and honestly? I'm kinda done with things I don't understand soooooo," Caroline raised her brows and looked up for a moment, thinking, "I'm gonna go get to the bottom of this. For real. When I find Klaus" - Caroline didn't miss the twitch in Abhi's eye at the name - "if he has any answers? They're mine." Caroline bit off the last words, her frustration showing.

Abhi gave an embarrassed grunt as Caroline kissed the crown of his head. She straightened and marched towards the door, stopping at the threshold and turning her head to study him a moment more. He looked up from the TV as she drew a breath in to speak, but she only let it out slowly and gave a small wave before heading out to the street.

* * *

Bonnie's spell had tracked the cell phones to a small storefront on a side street just off Janpath. Klaus and Rebekah had gone to investigate on their own, Josh staying behind to keep an eye on Bonnie as she recovered from the drain of casting. While Josh hadn't been surprised to see the Originals return with a hostage, he wasn't super thrilled with being left with clean-up duty.

Klaus had torn out of the house in a rage, blood-soaked hands telling the sad tale of the hostage's fate, and Rebekah had simply handed Josh a handkerchief with a sniff before following Klaus out the door.

"I guess it was a bust," Bonnie's voice surprised Josh from the doorway. He turned, noting the color had returned to her face and her eyes were no longer sunken. Satisfied with the improvement, he turned back to the gruesome task at hand, unrolling an area rug he had taken from the living room as he answered her.

"Well, yeah, I mean Klaus is just pissed because the guy didn't know where the blond chick is."

"I would call that a good thing. I don't think those dudes planned on just saying hi when they found her," Bonnie responded.

Josh's ducked his head. "Good point. But Klaus is like - " Josh's voice grew strained as he heaved the body onto the rug- "more insane than usual. Even Rebekah said she hadn't seen him so obsessed since the doppleganger."

Bonnie's brows shot up, lowered. She wasn't _really_ surprised, she had been noticing Klaus' single-mindedness for weeks now. "Did they find anything out? Like why those guys have been following our girl?"

Josh glanced up. "Kind of. The guy didn't make much sense, just kept babbling something about 'serving her'? 'We all serve her', 'the dark ones lead the service', I don't know...he reminded me of that crazy homeless preacher dude on Dauphin - you know, the one with the microphone?" Josh looked back down, scooting his hands underneath the body to pick it up before pausing. Seeming to come to a decision, her turned back to face her with a thoughtful expression that immediately made Bonnie wary. Just as quickly he turned back to the body with a shake of his head, giving a small sigh.

"Josh." He turned towards her guiltily. "Spit it out, my man."

He looked down, nodding his head back and forth a few times, considering, before finally speaking up. "OK, hear me out. I know this is a weird time, but I've kinda been wondering about this for a while and we don't always get to hang out without Klaus barging in."

"You're kind of freaking me out, Josh. Just say it."

Josh leaned back, resting his elbows on the body behind him.

"Do you want me to set you up with someone?"

Bonnie let out a surprised huff of air. "Wh-what? Are you asking me about my love life? While you're all casually leaning on a dead body?"

Josh sat up with a start, waving his hands defensively. "I said I knew it was a weird time! But I don't know - I just...look, are you happy?"

Bonnie opened her mouth to give a sharp retort but paused, her face clearing. She knew he meant well.

"I mean...yeah, I'm happy. I certainly don't need someone else to make me happy, if that's what you're insinuating."

"No no no I totally know that," Josh was still waving his arms back and forth. "Ugh, I'm not saying this right. I just...I don't know. I'm a worrier," he pointed at himself with both thumbs. "and you're just so cool and confident, but you're... I don't know, it's not that you seem lonely, but you're always alone, you know? I just...not like you're not a smoking hot, super smart babe who could get anyone you wanted, but if you...I don't know." Josh trailed off, embarrassed, breaking Bonnie's gaze to stare awkwardly at a spot near his left knee.

Bonnie's eyes grew soft and she broke the silence after a moment. "Hey." Josh looked up at her voice, startled, then looked back down, picking up a rug tassel and rolling it in his fingers as Bonnie continued. "Thanks - I really do appreciate it. But I'm good. Honestly. Having some friends - besides you, of course - would be cool, but I'll be honest, I'm completely uninterested in dating. I'm way more into hanging out and learning from Grams than being with someone right now, girl or guy." Josh's head flew up in surprise at this.

"Yeah, I'm not sure about that, I've kinda always been attracted to both. Definitely something to explore, just not right now." Bonnie examined her nails, a little uncomfortable. She wasn't big on talking about herself, and was kind of surprised she had revealed so much, to be honest. Deciding to change the subject back to less private waters, Bonnie cleared her throat and tried to think of something to say.

Josh seemed to sense Bonnie's discomfort and chose that moment to pick up the rug-wrapped body with a grunt and sling it over his shoulder. Bonnie backed out of the doorway into the foyer and Josh followed, the dead man's feet knocking and catching on the jamb before pulling free.

He stopped short in the middle of the tiled floor, spinning around and narrowly missing a vase in the process. "Oh, I almost forgot! Did you see the news clip? I can't _believe_ they showed it on TV. Dude had an actual bite mark on camera. Indian news is waaaaaay more hardcore than the U.S."

Bonnie drew her head back, eyes widening in shock. "Woah, no I didn't see it. But that means that any supernatural creature who sees it will know a vampire was involved. I'm surprised Rebekah let Klaus be that sloppy. I wonder if our friend has seen the news?" _Caroline, her name was - a burst of laughter - waggling brows_. The image had been stuck in Bonnie's head for days. A spark of an idea kindled and Bonnie grabbed her coat and shrugged it on before pulling the back door open wide to let Josh through. He gave a nod of thanks, eyes darting to her jacket in an unspoken question.

Bonnie rushed out the words. "Hey - you ok on your own? I'm gonna go out for a walk. I need some air and a chance to see this city already." She knew she was being obvious but the impulse was too strong, so she grinned at Josh, shoving her hands in her pockets at the bite in the afternoon air. She knew if she told him her plans that he'd insist on coming along, and she honestly wanted to meet this Caroline on her own terms, with no distractions.

"OK," Josh drawled suspiciously. "You sure you're good to go out so soon after casting?" His expression turned worried, making Bonnie feel a little bit guilty about going off alone, so she responded with a teasing "I'm sure" and kept the easy smile, watching with relief as his brow relaxed. She cuffed him on the shoulder, smiled at his instinctive "Ow!" and headed out into the city, Josh staring for a moment before heaving the rug-wrapped body in the back of a passing diesel-spewing truck.

* * *

Caroline saw the crime scene tape well before the store. The wind had kicked up a bit as the afternoon waned, and a corner of the tape had become dislodged, CAUTION waving wildly in the gusts. The back of her neck prickled as she drew closer, some instinct warning her to seek cover. She had remembered to wrap her hair up in a dark scarf, but her pale skin would still stand out amidst the crowd. Ducking inside a jewelry shop, she peered out from behind a rack of dangling earrings, trying to spot the reason for the oppressive weight in the air.

A slim-built white man exited from the mobile store, hand next to his ear where a visible cord snaked down into the collar of his shirt. He looked _incredibly_ familiar, those frameless dark sunglasses and the twist of his thin-lipped mouth was straight out of -

"Holy shit." Caroline clapped a hand over her mouth but the words were already out. The man thankfully didn't look her way, still preoccupied with his conversation.

Um so….how was Agent Smith from those Matrix movies standing twenty feet away? She had watched those DVDs _so_ many times at Tyler's house sophomore year, back when they had dated. He had this weird fascination with Neo, and Caroline - she accepted thanks in the form of cash should you wish to contribute - had been the one to prevent him from buying a long leather duster by mocking him mercilessly for a week. She _hadn't_ been able to stop him from buying the sunglasses, but thank god he had stopped wearing them when Vicky Donovan told him he looked like a total douche.

Sigh. Way to get sidetracked, Caroline.

But seriously, why was a fictional character at the scene of a brutal crime - _Oh. Ohhhhh._ Caroline internally facepalmed as the lightbulb went off in her head.

Abhi had said pishachas were shapechangers. Granted it was kind of an odd choice - she knew firsthand that being white wasn't exactly a way to blend in Delhi - but she supposed demons could like old sci-fi movies too. And honestly? She should have expected the demons to come out and see what happened to their henchmen. Caroline was searching around for another exit when she swore she heard a voice whisper her name. Turning her head, she peered into the depths of store, trying to spot the voice's owner.

Caroline's blue eyes met brown ones as her gaze stopped on the face of a gorgeous black girl. The girl held a finger in front of her face in a plea for quiet and Caroline nodded, confused, before raising a brow in silent inquiry.

The overhead bulbs reflected off of the girl's dark skin as she tilted her head up in response, nodding towards the two-story building on the corner, apartments from the look of it.

 _'Meet you on the roof'_ the girl mouthed and held up both hands, fingers spread wide. ' _Ten minutes.'_

Caroline nodded again and slunk out of the store. Agent Smith thankfully didn't seem to share a vampire's strong senses and stayed facing the other direction, still studying the other end of the street. She gave the pishacha a wide berth anyways, using her vamp speed to circle around the apartments, her step stuttering for a moment as she realized with surprise how quickly she just...agreed to meet with the girl. She _had_ seemed familiar, but Caroline knew for sure they had never met. Was there some French term for this feeling? Like déjà vu - but more... déjà met this person? Whatever, Caroline trusted her instincts, and her instincts were saying very loudly, and with emphasis, that the dark-skinned girl was someone she could trust. Even if it was completely freaky that she knew her name.

She arrived at the apartment's back wall and took advantage of the spacing of the narrow balconies to jump up to the roof. She peered over the rooftop's edge, trying to spot the girl or the demon, but picking anything out amongst the controlled chaos of the Delhi street was difficult. Blowing air out through her nose, Caroline slid down the wall and sat waiting for what seemed like forever.

Why did she always try to check her watch when she never, ever wore one?

Caroline stood up at the screech of metal, the door leading from the apartments noisy with disuse. The black girl from earlier peered around the corner and Caroline gave a small wave.

The girl gave a half-smile as she approached. "Hey. This is gonna sound weird, but I've seen you in a dream. You're...Caroline, yeah?"

"Yup! I just hope your dreams aren't anything like mine. The last one I can remember it was take your pet to school day and Elena's old Weimeraner Bucky turned out to be a mob boss, and there was something to do with exploding balloons?" She quirked her lips, trying to remember.

"Uh, not at all." Bonnie let a huff of laughter escape. "OK, so you're crazy - I mean Caroline - and I'm Bonnie. I'm a witch, and I work with a guy that's been trying very, very hard to find you. But i kinda wanted to find you first."

"Klaus? Is that who you're talking about?" Caroline asked, her tone difficult to read as she sat back down, back to the roof's outer wall.

"Yep - but don't judge me for it. There are worse evils, or so Grams says. How did you know his name?"

"He told me." Caroline's eyes narrowed for a moment. "OK, so what do you know? Maybe that's the best place to start."

Bonnie walked up and turned, sliding down the wall next to Caroline. A fan on the apartment roof turned on with a juddering whine and Caroline and Bonnie leaned closer to one another almost conspiratorially. They talked, sharing details on the spell, life in New Orleans, whether or not witches had a secret club where they waved to each other when they passed on the road ("like Jeep owners!" Caroline had exclaimed) and pretty much everything in between. Before either of them knew it, the late afternoon sunlight had disappeared in a russet flash over the horizon and the city began to light up for the evening. The scent of spice wafted up from the apartments below as suppertime drew close, the smell finally breaking Bonnie and Caroline out of their conversation.

Caroline gave a gasp when she saw that night had descended, and pulled out her Volant phone, giving Bonnie an apologetic look for the interruption. Bonnie heard the faint click of connection, a deep voice raised in concern.

"Abhi, I'm so, so sorry. I met this witch and she's amazing, and you guys totally need to meet, but that's neither here nor there. I totally lost track of time. And I'm not sure how much more I have. Wait, I'm gonna put you on speaker, is that ok?" A muffled assent and Caroline pressed a button before continuing. "So, Abhi was actually talking about this the other day. I'm still going back and forth between worlds at what feels like the most inconvenient times ever, and to be honest I'm surprised it didn't happen in the middle of us talking." Caroline waved her hand at Bonnie, who was sending a quick text to Josh before he called whatever India's version of the National Guard was. Caroline and her really _had_ talked for a long time.

"Hey Abhi! This is Bonnie. Caroline's told me a lot about you. I totally want to read that book your aunt gave you if you're cool with it. I know a little Sanskrit and some Urdu." Bonnie saw Caroline raise her brows, impressed. "Well, language is the root of a witch's power, so I've studied a lot. Sometimes you can modify a spell with a change in the wording, and some languages have better words depending on what you want to do," Bonnie said with a smile. "Anyways, total tangent. Abhi, what's up?"

"Miss Bonnie, I will be happy to let you see my aunt's grimoire." Abhi's tone was warm. "For now, I was trying to find a way to keep Caroline in Delhi so that she can obtain the cure without disappearing in the middle of her mission." Caroline perked up at this, she had _finally_ gotten Abhi on board with the spy lingo!

" _Your_ mission, Bonnie, should you choose to accept it," Caroline interrupted gleefully, "is to find a spell that will keep me here without it being permanent. Because I _need_ to get back to my mom. Do you think it's something you can do? I have a witch friend in my," Caroline gave a short laugh, "home world. God, I sound like I'm right out of a sci-fi movie. Tyler would so love me right now. But anyways, Myrna may be able to talk shop with you sort of...long distance, if you need it."

Bonnie huffed. "I don't know. I mean, it's not like I have experience with any of this alternate reality stuff. I need a bit of time to try to wrap my head around it all. But, I don't see why a binding spell wouldn't work, I'd just have to modify it to be a little broader than I'm used to." Bonnie trailed off, staring off into the distance as her mind turned over the possibilities.

"That sounds to be a good plan, Bonnie." Abhi's voice crackled over the phone's speaker before a new voice interrupted.

Caroline had barely felt the rush of air, scrambling to standing from some deep-seated instinct.

"So nice of you to invite me to your little rooftop chat." Klaus said, standing a few feet away from them with his eyes staring holes in Caroline's skin and his words directed at Bonnie. Caroline noted the dip of necklaces below the charcoal-grey henley, the dark, expensive-looking jeans, the lean, predatory grace of his stance, the magnetic pull of his gaze.

"Abhi, gonna have to call you back later." Caroline's eyes didn't leave Klaus' face as she disconnected over the faint sound of Abhi's protest. Bonnie looked back and forth between the two, her brows shooting up into her hairline. There was something undeniable between Klaus and Caroline - it filled the spaces in the air, an almost living, breathing thing expanding and contracting in the space that separated them as they stood, gazes unwavering.

"Hi." Caroline broke the spell with an awkward wave.

Klaus' head dipped down and he looked back up through his lashes. "Hello, Caroline," the syllables rolled over and across his devil's tongue. Caroline took a step back at the intensity of it.

Bonnie coughed, drawing attention for a moment. She ignored Klaus' disgruntled expression and looked at Caroline, mouthing ' _you ok?'_ and receiving a nod and a small smile in return before Caroline turned back to Klaus. While she wouldn't normally leave someone in the hands of a psychopathic predator, Bonnie knew, just like Caroline apparently did, that Caroline would be safe with Klaus. "Caroline, I'll see you soon, ok?" Another nod and Bonnie stood up and took her leave, the metal door once more screeching in protest.

Caroline was lost in her study of Klaus. It was so different seeing him like this - she couldn't get over the _realness_ of him, those familiar features so defined. Despite all her reservations, and there were, like, three thousand of them, she still wanted to reach a hand out and cut it on those cheekbones, place a thumb on that bottom lip and slowly draw down. His eyes searched her face with an answering wonder, his hand reaching up only to stutter and fall. It made Caroline smile.

"You know how I knew you were real...that I wasn't crazy?" her hands twisted in her sweater, her glances nervous. "I watched you painting. It was a long flash, maybe an hour or so - you never saw me," she added as she saw his brow furrow trying to recall. "Your face was so intent on the canvas, and every brush stroke was so, practiced I guess?" Caroline looked down, wetted her lips.

"I'm not an artist, but I am creative - just ask the Mystic Falls Beautification Committee, thank you - and I can recognize passion and skill. I sat there, and I watched my face emerge as you painted." She turned her palm up in offering, brow furrowing. "I just - I'm sorry. I think the feeling that I was breaching your trust by watching something private is what made me realize it wasn't all some weird dream, that you were real on that other end."

As she spoke, Klaus' face had adopted a stony expression, only his eyes betraying the myriad of emotions struggling for dominance, distrustful anger winning the battle at last. "Were there other times you watched without my knowledge?" He bit off accusingly.

Caroline's head pulled back as if struck "No…"

He eyed her for a few moments, distrust clear on his face.

"You don't have to be such an asshole about it when I'm clearly trying to explain things to you. I just admitted that I didn't feel comfortable with you not knowing I was there. You -" she strode up and poked his chest with an imperious finger, "need to get with the program."

At this, Klaus' lip quirked and the anger drained from his gaze. No one, outside of perhaps Rebekah, spoke to him like this. Even Bonnie's nonchalant disregard still held a note of fear in it, but not Caroline. His wolf's ears perked up as the thrill of the hunt loomed closer. Moving with the languid grace of the lupine, Klaus circled Caroline, a side-mouthed smile dimpling his cheek.

The atmosphere on the roof changed and Caroline was a bit confused by it all. Wasn't she just super pissed off at Mr. Grumpypants? Why was he looking at her like she was his next meal? When did the temperature raise to like, a gajillion? She pulled at a dress strap as her eyes followed Klaus.

"When you first appeared, I was struck by your beauty, although I admit my main concern was diffusing what i saw as a threat." His hand shot out to trace her shoulder blade, pushing aside blonde curls to raise shivers on her skin through her sweater. "The more I tried to find you, the more I became convinced that this was a plot against me. Because your eyes intrigued me, volumes spoken with just a look." He had come full circle and was facing her again, hand tensing on her shoulder before raising a reverent touch to her brow. "There is a strength, a fire... so full of light," he spoke the last words wonderingly, as if to himself.

Caroline shook her head, dislodging his hand that had moved to cup her face. His words were pretty, but she barely - scratch that - _didn't_ know him at all. With a shaky exhale, she planted two hands on his chest and _pushed._

"Look, you clearly have a seduction A-game but I barely know you and this is NOT the time." Klaus quickly regained his balance but chose to stand idle as Caroline stepped away, tearing her gaze from his and speeding off the roof.

He'd catch up with her later. This was turning out to be _so much fun_.


	7. Chapter 7

**_PFWW/N_**

 ** _A bit of mother/daughter angst in the first scene, if you don't like such things.  
_**

 ** _There is a tiny blip where I mention the sikh riots that happened in 1984. I do not mean to make light of such a horrific time and I struggled with even mentioning a historical event, but i totally believe vampires would take advantage of violence when they could._**

 ** _You know, I didn't even know these things happened until i started on this story and began learning about the history and culture of India, Delhi specifically. I feel like I am so sheltered learning-wise in America from the history of other countries, as it didn't really come up in my education. So I welcome the opportunity to learn, even horrific pieces of the past like the riots or the violence of partition. We can't begin to try to understand that which we are ignorant of.  
_**

 ** _This chapter is SO not as dark as the above notes make it out to be lol._**

 ** _Hope you enjoy the chapter, and thank you for reading!_**

* * *

"Mom?"

Liz looked up from her seat at the kitchen table, finishing a looping signature across a check. Her eyes betrayed her exhaustion, dark circles like bruises showing through skin stretched thin from her illness.

"Hey honey. How's the search going?" Liz had been supportive of Caroline's efforts, if a bit distant. Caroline supposed it was hard for her mom to admit that she needed help.

"Good - It seems like everything I need is in Delhi, even if I still don't know what Klaus has to do with any of it. I had him, right there, but he just... grr he TOTALLY distracted me." Caroline ignored her mom's knowing look and circled behind her, bending down to give her a hug from behind and kissing her cheek. The skin felt papery beneath her lips and fear stabbed at Caroline. She pulled back, schooling her features and sliding into a chair at the table.

"There's a witch there, her name is Bonnie, and she's amazing. We hung out for forever last night, talking about the cure, about you, about her life in New Orleans and working for Klaus. I think she's going to try to bind me to their world so that I don't lose time flashing back and forth between them." Caroline looked up, catching her mom's eye. "I wanted to make sure it was ok with you. There's a chance, however tiny from what I understand, that I could be caught there."

Liz's face softened. "You don't even need to ask, Caroline. In many ways it seems like you have more in that world than you do here. If there's a place to get caught in, it's there - with Abhi, with your new friend...with Klaus." Caroline scowled and Liz continued with a smile in her voice. "I'm so proud of you, of what you've become, of where you're headed, of who you are - so full of drive and compassion." Liz reached out her hand and Caroline placed her own in her mother's palm, callused from years of police field work. Liz closed her fingers and Caroline let the warmth of her mom's hand seep into her bones, a half-choked sob working its way up from her throat.

"Shh, honey it's ok," her mom got up, still holding her hand, and mirrored Caroline's gesture from earlier, snaking her free arm around and squeezing her daughter in a tight embrace. "It'll be ok," she murmured into her hair and Caroline blew out a shaky breath, inhaled again.

"You're right, it _will_ be ok. Because I'm going to find the cure and bring it back to you. And I'm not going to accept any other outcome."

Caroline could feel her mom smile into her hair before she responded. "That's my girl."

* * *

It was close to two p.m. by the time Bonnie woke up; between the locator spell, meeting Caroline, and the still-present jet lag, she had been pretty exhausted, falling into a dead sleep quickly upon her return from the rooftops.

Swiping a hand down her face tiredly as she walked into the living room, Bonnie passed Rebekah perched in a wingback chair, dispiritedly poking at her phone. Bonnie plopped down on a chaise lounge with the idle thought that the furniture in the house had clearly been chosen by someone with European tastes.

"Where is everyone this morning?" Bonnie yawned out the end of the sentence, unfurling her arms in a stretch.

Rebekah didn't look up as she responded. "Nik is around somewhere and his lackey is out buying a new rug."

Bonnie rolled her eyes. "He has a name you know."

Rebekah ignored her, tapping the phone with an index finger. A tinny voice pronounced a new high score. Rebekah's eyes flickered up at Bonnie, then back down to the screen.

"So when do I get to meet this... Caroline?"

"She's gonna call me when she gets back to this world. She wanted to talk to her mom before I cast the binding spell."

Rebekah's sigh was long-suffering. "Doesn't she know we're _waiting_ on her? For reasons I still don't understand, mind you. The hostage was completely worthless in that regard." Rebekah set her phone down and tilted her head, looking through the doorway into the room where they had tortured the man. "I'm certainly not sad to see that hideous rug go. Elijah's taste in decor has always been a bit stuffy."

"Agreed, sister. Although I admit to being a touch concerned that Josh will bring back something even worse. I suppose we shall see." Klaus breezed into the room, a lightness in his step. "Perhaps our young witch friend can fill you in on the situation with Caroline."

Bonnie stared at the dimpled grin on Klaus' face like it was proof he was an alien. He was almost... jovial and it was unsettling.

"So...Caroline has just as many questions as you do about why we're here, honestly. The only thing we could think of is that you're somehow needed to either get to the cure, or to find it." Bonnie stood up a moment to pull her phone out of her back pocket, tapping the screen a few times as Klaus' jaw clenched with impatience. "She knows the cure is here, in this ancient well thing, but there are demons guarding it." Bonnie had turned her phone to face Klaus and Rebekah, the screen zoomed in on the Google map of Agrasen ki baoli.

Rebekah arched a brow at the mention of demons, a small smile gracing her features. "It's been _ages_ since we've fought demons, Nik. What are they? Rakshashas? Oooh maybe kalis?"

"O-kaaaaaaay," Bonnie drawled out. "Who are you two, and where are the real Mikaelsons? You guys are creeping me the hell out with this happy thing."

Rebekah sniffed and turned her head to Klaus, blocking out Bonnie entirely from her gaze. "This one's far too mouthy for my tastes. Are you sure I can't bleed her out a bit, make her more tractable?"

Bonnie smiled sweetly. "You can certainly try!"

"Enough! You were saying?" Klaus' clipped voice cut through the tension. He motioned deferentially at Bonnie, his appetite for news of Caroline clearly outweighing his irritation.

"So yes, demons. They're-" Bonnie squinted, trying to remember the name Caroline had said -"pishachas. I had never heard of them. She said Abhi told her -"

"Who is Abhi?" Klaus' interrupted, his gaze ruinous and his mouth tilted down petulantly.

Rebekah snorted, jumping up off the chair in excitement. "Oh my _god_ I wish Kol was here to see this."

"What?" Klaus bit off, glaring at Rebekah.

"No-thing," Rebekah sing-songed, tapping quickly at her phone. Bonnie's eyes were too slow to catch the blur of Klaus' movement, only seeing the end result as the phone gave a quivering thud from its new home lodged deep in the stucco of the wall.

"Fine, you know I'll just tell Kol later." Rebekah said, turning towards Bonnie and letting her vowels drip with honey. "Please do tell us more about this Caroline that has my brother sniffing at her skirts like an overexcited wolf pup."

Bonnie spoke before Klaus could fire off another retort. "Abhi is Caroline's friend here in Delhi. He helped her find the step-well, and his aunt was a witch so he knows some things about the supernatural. I don't think Caroline will do anything here without him, so I'm sure you'll meet. And he's old enough to be her dad." Bonnie was surprised she added that last part. Somehow seeing this little blip of humanity in Klaus made her view him, just a tiny bit, as a man more than a monster.

"Anyways, Caroline said the pishachas were kinda slow when she fought them, but super strong. I don't know - you guys ever fought one?"

"Never encountered one, much less heard of the breed, which is rather odd." Rebekah tapped her lips with a finger. "We've spent enough time in India that it seems strange to have never come across one." Rebekah turned towards Klaus, a shy smile softening her appearance. "Do you remember the 80s when Kol demanded that we paint the town red during the riots?"

Klaus tipped his head back, blowing air through his nose in silent laughter. "He was so affronted to learn the original phrase had nothing to do with blood that he insisted on correcting 'such a missed opportunity,'" Klaus finished.

Bonnie pinched the bridge of her nose, getting up and walking into the kitchen without another word. She wasn't ready to handle any more of the Mikaelsons without some caffeine.

The kettle had whistled its alarm by the time Klaus joined Bonnie in the kitchen, adopting a casual pose against the dark wood of the cabinets. Bonnie raised a tired brow while she dunked her tea bag.

"How long has Josh been gone?" She asked.

"He went out first thing this morning. He should have been back by now," Klaus admitted. "He's not answering his phone or texts, either. I'm growing a bit irritated, truth be told."

"I'm not going to find him!" Rebekah yelled from the living room. Klaus' brow knit in annoyance.

"I didn't ask you to, Rebekah."

"I'm preemptively saying it, like calling shotgun for the passenger seat. I'm not missing out on meeting Caroline because I'm out looking for Justin."

Bonnie shook her head incredulously. "His name is Josh... Well, someone needs to find him, and I stand out even more here as a black chick than you guys do, so I vote Klaus."

"I was _already planning_ on it." Klaus bit off, trying to regain control. "If he's been waylaid, I admit curiosity as to who would have the bollocks to assault one of my henchmen."

"God, could he sound any more evil mastermind? Maybe he can throw in a maniacal laugh at the end?" Bonnie asked herself in the now empty kitchen, the rattle of the front door slamming against the frame echoing through the house. Rebekah gave a small huff from the other room as she pulled her phone from the wall, a tinny voice announcing 'Game over'.

* * *

"Caroline, is it? So you think that saving your mom is important enough to interrupt my family's life?" Rebekah let the disdain roll off of her in palpable waves she was sure the younger blonde could feel.

"I didn't ask for the spell to bring you into this, and from what I can tell I only need Klaus, so your choice to be here is not my problem." If Rebekah thought Caroline would cower in fear at a little high-school grade bitchiness, she had another thing coming.

She had come straight here from her latest flash to meet up with Bonnie for the binding spell, Rebekah greeting her with a sniff at the door. Now they were having their bitchy standoff as Bonnie sighed from the doorway. Rebekah's fingers drummed on the arm of a plush wingback chair as the two blondes stared each other down.

Tap taptaptap

Tap taptaptap

Tap taptaptap

It was Bonnie that broke first. "OK guys, seriously, can we get the alpha female part out of the way already, _please?_ "

Caroline and Rebekah pretended not to catch each other's grins in response to Bonnie's frustration. Perhaps a silent truce would be acceptable. For now.

Picking up something in the vamp hearing range, their heads turned as one toward the front door. Bonnie strained her ears but couldn't hear a thing, muttering a "wh-what?" in confusion. Caroline stood and vamped over to the door, opening it to Klaus who was supporting the dead weight of a curly-haired guy over his shoulder. Klaus' looked like hell, his skin pale and stretched thin across his face, dark veins spread.

"The pishachas. Seal the house." Klaus muttered as he collapsed just inside the door, Caroline kicking the door closed and turning the lock before kneeling next to them both. She rolled the other guy over, noting his youthful appearance marred by the same black veins snaking across his skin as Klaus. Bonnie and Rebekah joined her at the door, Bonnie muttering lowly in what sounded like - was that Japanese? - snapping her fingers and summoning a flame while a hand rooted around in her purse.

Rebekah turned Klaus over, checking his body for injury and finding none. Both Klaus and Josh were completely intact, the only sign of something wrong being the dark tracery of veins and the fact that Josh was unconscious. Klaus' eyes were still open, and he blinked slowly at Rebekah before uttering a plea. "Blood."

"Of course, Nik." Rebekah raced to the second floor and brought down a compelled servant, helping Klaus sit up with his back to the door as Bonnie's spell chant grew in volume and the acrid scent of burning herbs filled the air. Rebekah's face betrayed her concern as she shoved the servant down and held her head so that her neck was bared to Klaus. He latched on with fangs sunk deep, the color beginning to return to his face after a few long pulls even as the black veins remained. Rebekah listened to the girl's heartbeat slow and falter until Caroline glanced up with a concerned expression, Rebekah heaving a sigh and pulling the servant away from Klaus' grasp. Some people were _so touchy_ about human life.

Bonnie's spell reached its apex, a low hum filling the air and the cracks of the door flashing brightly before dulling to an unearthly glow. The hum persisted at a low level, power roiling like a current that traced the edges and corners of the house. Rebekah raised a brow, impressed.

Klaus began speaking, his voice weak but clear. "The demons - they can drain energy. I believe they tracked the hostage to Josh, because he still had the man's scent on him. The pishachas -"Klaus paused as a shudder ran through him in his weakened state. "They have no hearts. I wasted time trying to pull them out and let one of them touch me. "

"Woah. I thought you said the demon guys were no big deal?" Bonnie shot a confused glance at Caroline, who was struggling to angle Josh into an upright position against the foyer wall.

"They weren't when I fought them. It just freaking _hurt_ when they hit. There wasn't any weird - there was nothing like this." Caroline let go, watching the curly-headed boy's neck slump forward against his chest. "By the way, who am I manhandling here, and is he gonna be ok?"

Bonnie gave a huff of laughter. "Oh, sorry, that's Josh. It's so weird, I know it's only been a day, but I keep thinking I've known you forever and you already know all this stuff." Caroline smiled, suddenly shy, and nodded her head for Bonnie to continue.

"But yeah, I think he'll be fine. And to go back a bit...maybe the energy thing has something to do with you not being from this world. Maybe...you're here, but, you're...not, so there's nothing for them to drain." Bonnie gestured idly, clearly trying to find the right words.

Klaus nodded his head, acknowledging Bonnie's theory, before slowly turning to face Rebekah. "They can't kill us, but they certainly can make us weaker than either of us are used to." He inched his head back towards Bonnie. "We need to learn more about these creatures. Call your grandmother and get the witch network in on this until we can talk to...Abhi. " His glance darted to Caroline before he pushed himself up, using the door as a brace.

Rebekah composed her features and gave a short nod as if coming to a decision, waiting for Klaus to clear the entryway before opening the door and flashing away to grab blood donors. It clearly wasn't safe outside, but Klaus and - Jason, was it? needed to regain their strength.

* * *

Klaus seemed to have made a full recovery, Caroline thought as she studied him. He was pacing back and forth in concentration, less of a frantic movement than one would expect from the description- more of a slow, calculated expression of grace. She could picture him in a different situation, using this pacing as a threat, the drawn-out movement heightening the tension. He glanced up and caught her cocked head staring, and for a moment she saw him as a boy, uncertainty flashing across his gaze, yet swiftly, so swiftly, it was replaced with a smug grin and she dropped her eyes, embarrassed. Jerk.

Josh was awake as well, but still recovering and doing some top-notch theatrical groaning as he stomped through the kitchen, taking Bonnie's offered mug without comment and walking into the living room. Rubbing his eyes blearily, he unknowingly crossed Klaus' path, somehow timing it perfectly to avoid crashing into him. Caroline almost burst into applause.

"This is like the worst hangover ever times 9000." Josh said to the floor before looking up and seeing the room for the first time. He did a double-take at Caroline and rushed to sit next to her on the chaise, placing his mug down on a low glass-topped table next to the lounge. "Are you...real?"

Caroline giggled in response and Klaus' face seemed to relax for a moment.

"I'm here, for now at least. I'm Caroline. Nice to meet you, Josh, you had us worried for a bit there."

"I'm not surprised," Josh groaned into his hands. "I never, ever want to go through that again."

"Well, perhaps if you stop your whingeing and tell us what you know, we may be able to fulfill your dream," Klaus' voice dripped with irritation and he stopped pacing, turning to pour a drink from the globe-shaped bar nestled in the corner of the room. Caroline rolled her eyes at his back, making sure Josh could see. They shared a secret smile before wiping their faces blank as Klaus turned. He peered suspiciously at them, sensing something, before sitting down in the wingback chair Rebekah favored.

"I was out buying the rug - which I'm pissed about because I found an AWESOME one and now it's gone - and two big, burly dudes approached me on the street." Josh closed his eyes hard and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I got a crazy bad vibe off them so I tried to vamp out of their way, but some skinny white demon guy had flanked me and grabbed at my hand. And let me just say that I don't think I can read any Harry Potter scenes with Dementors in them anymore, because oh. my. god it felt like all of my life was being sucked out of me." Josh shuddered and looked up at Klaus, leveling his gaze, a moment of rare solemnity gracing his features. "I would have been a goner if you hadn't come around. Thanks."

Klaus' blink was the only hint of his reaction. "How long did he grab you for?"

"30 seconds? Six years? A lifetime? I don't know dude, it was hard to judge when it felt like my entire life was draining out of my hand."

Caroline interrupted before Klaus could offer a retort. "So we need some way of fighting the energy drain." Standing up, Caroline began pacing as she thought. Klaus grinned at her behavior, so close to his own a few moments ago. He jumped up to settle in her vacated seat so that he could see her, placing his hands behind his head with artful casualness.

"Ok so first off, it sounds like there are more than two pishachas, which is bad news. Wait - did they touch both of you with skin contact, or was it through clothes?"

Klaus answered, catching on to her line of thinking. "They touched my face, and his ungloved hand. So some sort of barrier between skin and their touch could stop the energy drain."

"Could?" Josh asked.

"We can't really say for sure from a sample of two," Caroline muttered. "But it's certainly worth an attempt. You should have some kind of backup though, if you can."

"Done." Klaus grinned smugly, placing his phone back in his pocket. "Elijah will email the relevant page from my mother's grimoire to Bonnie tonight."

Caroline nodded in acknowledgement. "Well, OK. But if that's the case we need a couple of days. I don't really know much about witches but I know spells are draining, and she's casting a lot.

"Thanks, Care. But I can do it sooner. Your mom needs help." Bonnie followed her voice into the room, shoving Josh over and picking up his neglected coffee from the table, taking a deep sip.

Caroline's brows knit together, confused. "My mom's ok for a few extra days, Bonnie. I'm not going to risk your life to speed it up. It's fine."

Bonnie stared at Caroline over her the lip of the mug. She was so used to being pushed, to having to do things in less time than she honestly needed, that she had learned to just make promises without thinking about them, and Caroline had totally called her on that without even really knowing her. She felt her shoulders relax, a bit of the tension she always carried there draining away. Maybe this is what having a good friend felt like.

She nodded her head at Caroline with a smile, acquiescing. "Fair enough. So what's the plan?"

"Abhi has my planner, but if you have a whiteboard, some duct tape, pushpins, yarn, a map of Delhi, and some magnets, I can try to duplicate it here. It's pretty simple."

Caroline stared at three faces in various stages of amusement and narrowed her eyes. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing!" came three replies all at once. "Let's... just wait for Abhi to get here," Bonnie offered.

"Not much of a wait, he's here." Klaus commented. Caroline brightened and breezed out of the room, heading to the front door and pulling it open. Klaus stood and walked into the foyer to glance through the doorway, curious about Caroline's Delhi mentor. A stocky older man stood at the door, the mandarin collar of his kurta folded under as if he had dressed in a hurry.

"Abhi! We were just talking about you!" Caroline gave the man a hug and pulled him into the living room by a hand, staggering when he came to a dead stop upon spotting Klaus. The man's eyes were furious and Klaus watched as one of his hands tightened in a fist, the other drifting towards his waist. Klaus noted the threat and considered his options - killing the man was out of the question if he wanted to pursue Caroline - she was too attached to this man and her humanity, it seemed. He decided to play it off until he learned more, giving a knowing nod to Abhi just to acknowledge. Abhi clenched his jaw in response and let Caroline pull him onto the chaise lounge, opening up a leather satchel he had brought and starting to pull out some books.

"Abhi - Klaus, Josh, Bonnie." Caroline nodded at each of them in turn as introduction. "You'll meet Rebekah later, she's out getting more…" Caroline coughed, " um...food." Bonnie raised a brow in unspoken question - _she's out again? -_ and Caroline nodded. Rebekah was honestly the safest choice to send for blood and food while Klaus wasn't 100%.

"I am honored," Abhi stood, giving a short bow to Bonnie and nodding at Josh before retaking his seat. "This is for you, Bonnie. I do ask that you take care, it is a very special book." He held the tome out reverently, the gold leaf glinting in the early afternoon sun as Bonnie reached over and took the book from his hands. She slumped almost comically at the weight, recovering and placing it on the coffee table, kneeling down to open the book to where a worn satin ribbon held place.

"This is amazing, Abhi." Bonnie's kept her hands from touching the page as she skimmed. This book was _old._ "Caroline said you thought this all related to some prophecy?"

Abhi pulled his gaze away from staring at Klaus to nod at Bonnie. "Yes. I am glad I don't need to fill you in on much. I believe that the reason _he_ is here," his finger stabbed in Klaus' direction," is because he is part of the family that is the counterpart to Lamashtu. The first vampires, the Originals, to Lamashtu, the first vampire in Caroline's world. The cure, or obtaining it, must relate somehow to the origins of vampires."

Klaus' tone was smug as he stared at Caroline. "To refine, I believe the spell focused on me not as the first vampire, but as the _first and only_ original hybrid."

"OK, is that what you call being a werewolf and a vampire at the same time? Anyways, that explanation makes sense, even if we don't know all the details yet. So let's talk strategy. Here's a map of the area and where I think the best approach is from." Caroline pushed a topographical map littered with hand-drawn markings onto the glass of the table.

"You draw an awesome stick person," Josh leaned in closer before grabbing his side at Bonnie's pinch. "What, I mean it!"

Klaus lowered to his haunches on the other side of the table, studying the map. "This is rather comprehensive, but I don't see an exit strategy."

"That's represented by the stick figure in the corner," Caroline huffed defensively.

"There's no way that would work if this map is correct. The fence would slow you down too much."

Bonnie, Josh and Abhi sat silently, heads ping-ponging back and forth as Klaus and Caroline continued to argue. Josh made a "can you believe this?" face at Bonnie and she shrugged her shoulders in response, catching Abhi's eye and motioning with her head towards the doorway.

The three got up, leaving the room to Caroline's color-coded plans and Klaus' thousand years of strategy, none of them quite sure who would emerge the victor.


	8. Chapter 8

**Hi! Thanks for the new follows and favorites, I hope this chapter is up to snuff :)**

 **It is not a heck of a lot of plot, but I felt like I needed to develop the characters and their relationships a bit more, considering they don't have the same backstory as TVD canon. Also holy crap do i love writing spellcasting. Like, who knew, it's so much fun to come up with different spell rituals.**

 **A note - I think TO lets vampires cast spells? Or something? Not here, magic is lost when you become a supernatural creature.**

 **At the end I wanted to contrast two scenes happening at the same time. Hopefully that is clear and not confusing to you, I tried to use lines and italics to separate but it is, by nature, a bit jumpy.**

 **Also, the Bollywood movie they are watching is a slightly time-altered version of Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, which was simultaneously the stupidest and most enjoyable thing ever. Bless that overacting, it's wonderful. Oh! also the Mughal emperor playing pachisi on a life-size board is one of those historical urban legends attributed to Emperor Akbar. It just seemed like something Klaus would be involved in so I had to borrow it.  
**

 **As always, thank you so much for reading.**

* * *

Caroline's skin still tingled from Bonnie's binding spell hours earlier, the gooseflesh raised on her arms. Magic would never cease to amaze her, but she thought she might go on a spell moratorium after all this was said and done. Not being in control over your own body was seriously mentally taxing.

"Wow, the spell on this is impressive." Bonnie was leaning against the chaise's back cushion, studying Abhi's cloaking ring.

"Yeah, Myrna's pretty amazing," Caroline said with a smile. "Will it be hard to recreate?"

Bonnie turned the ring over, feeling tendrils of the witch's energy twist about the jewelry, the magic's signature as unique as a fingerprint. "It shouldn't be a problem. I just think it's awesome how she used a binding spell to contain the magic -"

"so it doesn't harm the wearer if they choose to wear it long-term." Rebekah finished, bending over to examine the ring in Bonnie's palm. She looked up to catch the surprise flitting across Bonnie's face and raised her brows in answer. "I was a witch before I became a vampire. My mother taught me." Rebekah glanced back down at the ring, leaving only Caroline to see Klaus' face softening at his sister's words. In turn, he caught Caroline's gaze and held it, a moment passing between them, a paused heartbeat of time that would make her catch her breath in remembrance later.

"Also, the way your witch did this, it can't be stolen or removed." Rebekah raised her head to nod at Caroline who broke Klaus' gaze with a guilty start. She knew she had been caught when Rebekah continued with a note of amusement in her tone. "It's a secondary binding spell, it really is rather brilliant."

The three women glanced up as Klaus made a choking sound and stood, walking over to the bar to pour another drink and downing it in a single gulp. "Forgive me. It's not often that my sister lavishes compliments, consider me taken aback."

Rebekah eyed Klaus thoughtfully. "You've simply done very little to impress me, dear brother. Although I may reconsider." Cocking her head, Rebekah rose gracefully from her crouch. "Is that chai I smell?" Rebekah left the room, trailing shock in her wake as her heels clicked across the foyer tiles on the way to the kitchen.

"Does she always get the last word?" Caroline asked, slanting her eyes sideways at Klaus. "Because that was kind of amazing."

Klaus appeared to consider the question for a moment before shaking his head no, the grin splitting across his face a contrast.

A crinkling noise caught Caroline's attention as Bonnie rummaged in a plastic bag at her side. She watched Bonnie pull out a gold watch and a necklace, setting them down on the coffee table, the chain of the pendant pooling around a triangular-shaped stone. Noting Caroline's interest, Bonnie nodded at the jewelry. "I didn't want to worry about having to size a ring so I just got stuff everyone could wear." Caroline's gaze flickered up to the necklaces peeking out from Klaus' henley and pictured the pendant resting against his skin. Her cheeks warmed and she tore her gaze away to watch Bonnie who now knelt in front of the coffee table.

Bonnie drew a deep breath and exhaled, placing Abhi's ring to rest as the point of the triangle. "It will be less draining to use the ring as a focus. Think of it like a magical blueprint." Caroline nodded her understanding and looked up at Klaus, who had drawn closer to the action. He pulled up his jeans to crouch down and the gesture was so human Caroline drew her head back at the unexpectedness of it.

Klaus gazed at her quizzically over the rising current of Bonnie's voice and Caroline used the distraction to mouth a question at him _. Latin?_ He nodded and Caroline turned back to Bonnie, feeling the weight of his gaze linger, as it often did.

The spell stole everyone's attention as Bonnie lifted her hands and Abhi's ring raised off of the glass of the table, spinning slowly in the air. The candles flared for a moment, flames raising to an impossible height before settling. The shadows darkened on Bonnie's face, the dimming light hiding the strain on her features, but the stutter in her voice revealed the truth as her chanting continued.

" _ne-_ _nemo qui exercitum duce- ducerent ad hanc magiam potest indicare"_

Caroline tore her gaze away from the table, watching Bonnie's chest rising and falling in the struggle to draw breath. Caroline smelled the blood before she saw it - a nosebleed snaking a bloody track towards Bonnie's upper lip - and for a moment Caroline hated herself as she felt the hunger rise. Standing up, she rushed over to Bonnie, looking back at Klaus with alarm.

"It's part of spell-casting, Caroline."

The calmness in his voice only served to irritate her. "This didn't happen to Myrna? And Bonnie can barely breathe!"

"S'ok," Bonnie managed to whisper just before her back curled in a cat's arch, head pulling down so that her chin almost touched her chest, hands stretched forward with thumbs together and fingers splayed. Rebekah popped her head back in the doorway, watching silently, and time seemed to stretch out and collapse in on itself at the same time, as if minutes were being pulled from a single second and then snapped back into their rightful place. Caroline grabbed Bonnie's shoulders and let go immediately from the shock of the energy that then took visible form, streaming from Bonnie's outstretched fingers and imbuing the objects before her with an icy glow.

Silence descended as the spell finished and Bonnie drew a ragged breath before collapsing into unconsciousness, Caroline catching her with vampire reflexes. She shot an 'I-told-you-so' glare at Klaus and shouldered past Rebekah who made an irritated noise before moving aside. Caroline ignored her and walked Bonnie upstairs to the bedrooms, making a guess at Bonnie's room and laying her down gently, watching the rise and fall of her chest. The steady heartbeat assured Caroline that Bonnie would be ok, but she pulled up a chair next to the bed and hunkered down for a long afternoon of waiting.

Voices rose and fell from downstairs and she heard the slow tread of Abhi's footsteps, followed by the stop-start stutter of Josh's feet impatiently caught behind the older man. Josh somehow managed to burst into the room first, worry etched on his features, easing as he caught the same signs Caroline had a moment ago. Abhi cleared the doorway and stood in it, observing quietly.

"I'm so sorry, I was trying to convince Abhi to grow a mustache and didn't know you guys were casting another spell. She ok?"

Caroline gave a tired laugh, waving her hand at Abhi to enter the room. "Yeah, seems like she'll be fine. She's pretty stubborn when it comes to pushing herself, but I think she just needs rest at this point. What were you guys talking about besides mustaches?" Caroline looked at Abhi curiously.

Abhi leaned in, Caroline reflexively mirroring the gesture. With a conspiratorial grin and a cupped hand to direct the whisper, he spoke. "Josh was telling me about his man troubles."

Josh ducked his head embarrassed. "That's not how it started, I swear! I don't even know how we got to that topic."

"For what an old man's opinion is worth, I think you just need to find the right person." Abhi patted Josh's shoulder and gave it a squeeze and Josh reached up to cover Abhi's hand with his own.

"You should totally have a talk show. Like Dr. Phil, but actually useful and good."

Caroline smiled. She really was glad that some of the darkness had lifted from Abhi's face, and that Josh was the one to remove it. The young vampire _was_ pretty adorable. The darkness still lingered in the lines of Abhi's face, and she still needed to find out why, but for now it was simply nice to see his eyes dancing with humor.

* * *

Abhi had just left claiming he needed to get work done, Caroline escorting him to the door and giving him a searching look that Abhi answered with a small shake of his head. _Later._ Caroline narrowed her eyes at him, making her feelings clear on the avoidance, before shutting the door and heading back upstairs.

Bonnie was awake and propped up in her bed amongst a pile of pillows, clicking frustratedly on the touchpad of a worn laptop.

"I saw a scene from this movie on a local channel and I'm trying to find it with English subtitles but it says my region is blocked?"

"Oh, you just need to watch it via a proxy." Josh made grabby hands at Bonnie's computer and she passed it over, Josh tilting the screen back before his fingers settled at the keyboard.

Caroline shrugged at Bonnie and used the door jamb to arch into a deep stretch. "I'm gonna go get us some snacks." Caroline pushed back from the door, bouncing on the balls of her feet in excitement. "Abhi has shown me some awesome street food. Have you guys had golgappa yet? Or oh my god that cream thing?"

"You sure it's safe to go out?" Josh looked up from the laptop, the glow lending his face a haunted look.

"Yeah, thanks to Bonnie _almost killing herself_ they shouldn't be able to see us." Caroline glared at Bonnie who tilted her head and rolled her eyes upwards in response. "Also, even if I was found, the pishachas can't do the dementor thing to me, so... " Caroline shrugged.

Bonnie gave a nod and winced, grabbing her head with both hands. "Can you pick me up some Advil while you're out? This headache is kicking my ass."

The air displaced in a rush and Caroline called out from the bottom of the stairs in answer. "You got it, babe! Don't start the movie without me!"

"Fancy some company, love?" Klaus' mouth hardened when Caroline avoided his gaze. "Well, my apologies for disturbing you, but it's not safe out there, pendant or no, so you going alone isn't an option." He opened the door with a mocking flourish. "After you."

Caroline scoffed and pushed past him, shooting a "fine!" over her shoulder and marveling at how, in a bajillion years, Klaus somehow hadn't learned a good poker face. He was an open book, but she was still struggling to understand why he was so interested in her. Seriously, it's not like she was Elena. The singular attention was confusing to say the least, and she found herself having to push back the stirring of feelings in spite of what she'd seen and the horror stories Bonnie had told. Regardless, she wasn't here to figure out her feelings for a monster with a boy's heart. She needed to stop getting distracted.

Glancing back and seeing his jaw still tight, she sighed and gave him a small smile. It was a pretty major thing for him to uproot his life to come here, and while she knew his motivations weren't entirely on the up-and-up, the bottom line was he _was_ here to help her and that counted for a lot.

The streets were lit up in a neon blaze that seemed almost old-fashioned compared to the computerized LED lights she had seen in videos of Tokyo and Times Square. She tilted her head up for a moment to watch the amber glow of naked light bulbs slung over the narrow street wink on and off. Klaus watched her silently, tracking her as she ducked into a shop to buy Advil and rushed to a cart to buy three servings of daulat ki chaat, balancing a cardboard box the vendor handed her while she pulled rupees out of a small coinpurse. Klaus barely kept up when she made a sudden but determined beeline to the pani puri cart on the next block. The streets were crowded but parted in front of her, the men eyeing her almost aggressively until they caught Klaus' clenched-jaw glare spearing them from a few steps behind.

Caroline was excitedly approaching the cart when Klaus placed a hand at the small of her back, brushing aside a tendril of blond and whispering a warning in her ear. _Vampire._ Caroline ignored the shiver at that accent so close and pirouetted away towards the cart, smiling at the vendor Klaus just outed before pointing at a vat where puris were frying, the shells growing crisp in the bubbling oil. "Can I get some to go?"

"Yes yes Miss. Of course! Sanjay makes the finest pani puri in Delhi!" Sanjay smiled at Caroline, a flicker of recognition flitting across his features. Caroline saw his hand move in an unconscious gesture to his belt.

Klaus shouldered his way closer to the vendor. "I'm surprised we've never met before, Sanjay. Kol always had a thing for golgoppa. I'm Klaus. Perhaps you've heard of me." Klaus' tone was innocuous, but the air still seemed to expand with a weighted menace.

Sanjay blanched and began backing towards the wall behind him. "Kol? Klaus? As in the Mikaelsons?" At Klaus' self-satisfied nod, Sanjay continued. "I want no part of your family. Kol killed one of my sirelings with the handle of a cricket bat."

Caroline was confused. "Wait, there's MORE of you? Oh my god."

Klaus glanced at her with amusement before responding to Sanjay. "Yes, but to be fair, I believe that was because your sired friend _broke_ Kol's cricket bat in the first place."

"It broke when Kol smashed it over Aman's skull..." Sanjay lifted his palms up in indignant confusion.

"Exactly," Klaus replied calmly and Caroline almost laughed.

Sanjay seemed to relax at the lack of imminent threat. "Look, just - how long will you be in Delhi. The media attention is becoming uncomfortable, especially after that clip they aired. I assume that was you."

Klaus put his hands in his pockets, the spelled watch catching and reflecting the light from overhead as he casually replied. "This is Delhi. There are a million stories that circle around, all more ludicrous than the next. This will just be the one true rumor amongst them all." Sanjay warily tracked Klaus' movements as he began pacing in a semi-circle around the cart, the space somehow cleared of customers, as if they had fled the tension. "Speaking of fantastical stories, what do you know of the demons in agrasen ki baoli?"

Sanjay's brow furrowed and he glanced down, using a wide wire spatula to pull out the puris, bouncing the utensil to drain the excess oil. "They are very active now."

"What do you mean by active?" Caroline asked.

"They've been around as long as I've been turned, but it has just been... I do not know how to explain." Sanjay paused to consider, picking up the now-cooling fried shells and wrapping them in what looked like paper from a math textbook. "They are part of the fabric of Delhi. Like you said," a nod to Klaus, "another fantastical story. Always in the background, only coming out on occasion to feed, mumbling their nonsense about their queen."

Sanjay shook his head and shrugged. "We have never had much of a problem with them, although they are opportunistic feeders. They cannot actually kill a vampire, so we are like rechargeable food to them." He shuddered, then glanced at Caroline with an apologetic look as he spooned potatoes in yet another plastic bag. "The golgoppa will be soggy if I put the filling in now."

Klaus made an impatient noise. Caroline glared at him and turned back to Sanjay, giving him an encouraging smile.

"For the past month and a half we've been having to compel more people, hide more bodies, although apparently some of that's been from you." Sanjay waved an arm at Klaus. "And the demons have been trying to recruit vampires and werewolves into searching," Sanjay paused a moment, glancing up at Caroline through his lashes with a disturbingly calculated look, "for you, young miss. You're a very popular person in supernatural Delhi right now."

Klaus' arm shot out, grabbing Sanjay by the throat. "Let me make things clear. There are far worse things than death by cricket bat should you even make an attempt to hurt her."

"Hctthh" Sanjay's eyes bulged. Caroline touched Klaus' arm and he set down Sanjay with an unceremonious thump, the Indian vampire taking a few moments to gather breath. "Yes, yes of course not. I was simply informing Miss of the danger." Sanjay hurriedly handed the bags of food to Caroline. "I will not tell a soul. You can trust me!"

Klaus rolled his eyes and drew Sanjay close once again by his kurta collar, their faces inches apart. He appeared satisfied by what he saw in the other man's eyes and pulled away, nodding at Caroline. "Time to head back, love." He waited for the expected eyeroll and was surprised when she simply followed.

The vibrancy of the Delhi night had lost some of its charm in the wake of the conversation with Sanjay, and Caroline mulled over the events of the day with her head cast down, kicking aside trash with a curled lip. After a few blocks she seemed to finish processing and looked up at Klaus.

"What I don't understand is why our cloaking magic didn't work if he actually meant me harm." Caroline moved one of the bags to the other arm and handed over a cardboard box laden with food to Klaus who took it bemusedly.

"Well, they would work now, but not upon first meeting. The magic doesn't know intentions until they're revealed. Plus, _he_ didn't mean any direct harm, but those he reports to most likely would."

They walked a few more minutes in silence as Caroline considered his words. "I didn't even think about other vampires being here." She gave a short laugh. "Kind of stupid of me after all the crap that went on in Mystic Falls." Klaus looked up in surprise.

"Mystic Falls? Now that's a town I'm very familiar with. Please tell me Damon Salvatore doesn't exist in your world. Now _that_ would be a true crime."

Caroline shuddered giving Klaus all the answer he needed. There was a story there, and he filed that knowledge away to dig into another time.

* * *

"It looks like a weird texture, like whipped yogurt or something. I don't think I want any."

"Ok Bonnie, our new friendship might be on the line here. You need to at least _try_ it. Please?"

Bonnie's frown deepened and she crossed her arms, sulking. "Fine. One bite."

Josh, Caroline and Bonnie dug into their daulat ki chaat as one and a collective moan of ecstasy followed.

"Oh my gooooooooooooooooooooodddddd this is ridiculous."

"Abhi thinks the saffron really sets it off and I have to agree." Caroline took another bite, her groan of appreciation cut off by a voice outside the door.

"Perhaps you could restrict your orgies to when I'm not in the house?" Rebekah's irritated voice filtered through the door.

Josh, Caroline and Bonnie looked at each other and listened in amazement as Rebekah managed to convey annoyance with a pair of shoes, her heels stabbing down the stairs. They waited until the front door opened and closed before they burst into laughter and Bonnie pressed the spacebar on her computer, the room filling with the sound of sung Hindi.

"Oh my god that little kid in the turban is adorable."

"Right? Totally why I wanted to watch this, also the ludicrous 90s castoffs meets Super Mario Brothers wardrobe. It's amazing." Bonnie adjusted the volume and settled back into the blanket fort Josh had made earlier out of boredom, finishing off the daulat as the story unfolded onscreen.

* * *

 _Rebekah's heel ground against Sanjay's chest, his blubbering causing Klaus to scowl in annoyance._

" _Did you think I would let you go knowing you'd just sell the information to the highest bidder? Come now, Sanjay, you must not know my family as well as you think." Klaus reached down, pulling Sanjay to standing and throwing him against the weathered sandstone of the alleyway._

* * *

Caroline grinned at Bonnie and fluffed up her own pillow, recrossing her legs and scooching until her back rested against the wall. She held out a hand and smiled to herself when Josh caught the movement and passed a golgoppa over his shoulder without a word.

Groaningly full after several rounds of golgoppas, they piled on the bed, pulling the blankets from the fort to watch the rest of the movie; Josh falling asleep and Bonnie elbowing him repeatedly until he rolled over and stopped snoring. Caroline shot upright so comically you could almost see the light bulb appear over her head and she reached into her purse, pulling out a Sharpie.

* * *

" _You should stop playing with him, Nik. He's soiled himself and I need to wash the stench off."_

" _Very well." Klaus turned back to Sanjay who was a mess of tears, blood and other bodily fluids; looking deep into his eyes, the pupils constricting as he willed the compulsion._

" _Should you wish to share the details of meeting Caroline, myself, or Rebekah with others, you will instead find the nearest sharp implement, stab yourself in the stomach, and pull out your own entrails out before eating them." Rebekah gave an amused sniff as Klaus continued. "If you hear anything about any of my party, you will leave a message at this number." Klaus handed him a slip of paper which Sanjay instinctively took, his eyes still caught in Klaus' gaze. Klaus patted him comfortingly on the shoulder. "There's a mate. You have a wonderful evening."_

" _Well that will be an interesting news article," Rebekah mused._

* * *

Bonnie took the marker with a cackle and drew a fancy mustache over Josh's now drooling mouth. They both descended into heaving laughter that had Bonnie clenching at her stomach and Caroline gulping air like she still needed to breathe. They tried to settle on the bed, but still burst into giggles every few minutes, setting each other off until the laughter finally reached its half-life.

Caroline hadn't realized how much she missed just doing stupid stuff with friends, thinking about Elena back home and realizing it had been a long time since they had been in a place to just enjoy each other's company. _Tonight was just what I needed, Bonnie and Josh too_ she thought sleepily, her eyes straining and failing to stay open as the movie's credits rolled.

* * *

Waking up in the middle of the night with the feeling that someone is in your room is quite the adrenaline rush. Caroline fought the urge to open her eyes fully, instead slitting them a millimeter wide as her mind tried to focus on the threat. The door closed with a gentle tap against the jamb and Caroline rolled over, staring at the door unblinkingly, willing it to share its secrets. When no answer was forthcoming, she got up and padded out of the room to discover them for herself.

A light flickered amber in the living room, illuminating Klaus' face. He glanced up as Caroline descended, guilt flitting momentarily across his features.

"I'm sorry if I -?"

"Creepy much?" Caroline interrupted grumpily, feet slapping the foyer tiles as she approached. "Do we need to have the boundaries talk?"

Klaus' mouth twitched, "I apologize. Truth be told, I needed… to make sure you were still here."

Caroline softened. "Bonnie's spell definitely worked. But now I'm up. So let me kick your ass at Pachisi so I can go back to bed and _lock the door_ with a sense of accomplishment." she motioned towards the board painted on the side table Klaus' scotch rested upon.

'You play? Color me impressed with your cultural diversity," Klaus' amused expression turned thoughtful as Caroline sat down, pulling out the table so that it rested between them. "I played with a Mughal emperor once...we used his servants as game pieces..." He pulled a drawer on the side of the table and took out a small cloth bag, setting it down with a rattle on the table.

"No, you do not get to oldman one-up me tonight, I'm too tired for it," Caroline mumbled to Klaus' incredulous face. "I did a report on Indian board games for culture studies freshman year. Matt got sick of losing though so I haven't played in forever. You're still going down." The last word came out as more of a yawn as Caroline tilted the bag and shook out several cowrie shells in her palm.

"Far be it from me to 'oldman one-up you.' I'll refrain from history lessons for the evening. After you." Klaus gestured expansively at the board, not even trying to hold back his amusement.

Caroline glared at him and placed her pieces in the middle of the cross-shaped board, still maintaining eye contact in an angry stare as she shook the cowrie shells out onto the table. "Oh gee! Perfect roll! Looks like I go first!"

The game became heated, both of them clearly competitive and each unwilling to give an inch. Caroline caught how Klaus' brow furrowed when he rolled poorly and Klaus noted that Caroline laughed like a supervillain when she gained the upper hand.

"So...did you eat him when you lost?" Caroline asked after Klaus finished a turn.

"Eat who?"

"The Mughal emperor! Geez how many people _have you_ \- never mind."

"I'll have you know I didn't lose, Caroline."

"Well you're not very good at this, so he must have been awful. Oooh! you're so dead!" Caroline cackled gleefully, moving her piece to land on Klaus' and making explosion noises as she dramatically removed his piece from the gameboard.

Caroline looked up past Klaus' stretched-wide grin, stuttered on his dimples for a moment, moved on to meet his eyes as he responded.

"I ate him because he was a sore loser, actually."

Caroline's eyes widened.

"I'm kidding." Klaus paused for a beat, watching the shock drain from Caroline's features. "He was too well known in the human world. I just threatened to eat him until he acquiesced to my demands. Klaus waved a hand in a dismissive gesture. "Oh I compelled him of course. It's just so much fun to see the fear first."

He paused at Caroline's stony glare, and continued, "You still think like a human, Caroline. Give it a few hundred years." He was beyond irritated at the note of defensiveness that had crept into his tone.

"If thinking like a human means not being a total ass, then I have no plans to change anytime this millennium." Caroline smiled sweetly, putting the cowrie shells back in their ornamental bag and snapping the drawer closed. "Now if you'll excuse me, I've kicked your ass, so it's time for bed."

Klaus blew out a frustrated huff, clearly wanting to continue the conversation, but Caroline had already turned to head up the stairs, so he stayed silent while his eyes spoke volumes as they followed her up the steps.


	9. Chapter 9

**PFWW/N: Sorry for the shortness of this chapter. Work is kicking my ass with a ridiculously dumb project that I want to punch in the face. I also struggled with the plot of this chapter, since it revolves around Abhi, and who the hell cares about OCs? Luckily, a good friend offhandedly commented the other day that she loved him as a character and it helped motivate me to finally put down what was in my head. I really needed that validation.  
**

 **Delhi is a city of over 18 million today. In '84 it was merely 5.6 million. Which is an absolutely insano growth rate. There's your interesting factoid for the day.**

 **Also, sorry Klaus is an asshole. Also, also, also, thank you for reading, as always. I cannot tell you enough how much I appreciate those that take the time to read.  
**

* * *

"What are we doing here, Nik?"

Klaus stood back from the painting he was working on, brush held low and away from his body. He was losing the quality of light and would need another day to capture the weight of the fog on the morning streets, the sun peeking through like a shy lover. He wiped his brush on a stained cloth rag, blotting the excess paint off before kneeling and unscrewing a small glass jar.

Rebekah made an impatient noise behind him.

"I heard you, sister. We're here because the spell used on Caroline is something I am very much interested in."

"I don't doubt that, but there's more to it or you would have already gotten it from her witch, before Bonnie temporarily trapped her in this world."

Klaus cleaned his brush carefully before responding, the scent of turpentine overwhelming even outdoors. "Perhaps I simply want to see this through. The cure must be a powerful magic item for it to be protected by demons." Klaus waved his brush to illustrate his point. "Not to mention the existence of demons in the first place, and the mystery proposed by Caroline's mentor's book."

Rebekah's eyes had narrowed at his speech. "I can't find any holes in your logic, but I know this is about more than just magic to you. If you're not ready to admit it, then fine, we'll just see how this all turns out." She looked sideways at Klaus, a grin pulling at her lips.

Klaus rolled his eyes internally. Rebekah was so _obvious_ sometimes. "How what turns out, exactly?"

"Well, specifically the fact that Caroline's mentor, as you call him, wants you dead. The brother I know would have eaten his heart already. Yet you refrain. Funny, that."

"He's harmless," Klaus countered, defensive.

"And when has that has _ever_ stopped you?" Rebekah's brow lifted high on her forehead and Klaus made an exasperated noise. Reaching down to roll up his brushes in their caddy, he thought for a moment on how to respond.

"My decisions are my own, Rebekah. I don't need to answer to anyone for them, that includes you."

Rebekah burst out laughing. "Oh no, dear brother, of course you don't. Run along now, Caroline should be up!" Rebekah twisted a finger in the dimple of her cheek, miming a bright smile.

Klaus ignored her, folding the easel under an arm and carrying it down the hatch that led to the second floor of the bungalow. When he emerged on the ground floor free of painting supplies, Caroline was in the living room, head buried in an English-language paper, the section folded back to the editorials. Noting the latest headline campaign to return the Koh-i-noor to India, Klaus commented on it as he strode quietly into the room.

"i-noor...of light." Caroline glanced up at his words. "Actually I think the Daria-i-noor the more valuable of gems - the palest pink to match the flush on your cheeks. It's held in a museum in Tehran, I should take you there."

Caroline's lips twitched as Klaus adopted his professorial stance, hands clasped behind back, eyebrows high in the forehead, a thousand years of bemusement.

"Although the legend surrounding the wearer of the Koh-i-noor _is_ intriguing. It was said that, should a man wear it, he would be cursed by misfortune, but a woman…Klaus paused for a moment, memory splaying an impish grin across his face, "I'm honestly surprised Rebekah hasn't yet remembered her insistent wish that the jewel be held in the rightful hands of the _only_ woman that could realize its prophecy of power bestowed."

"Always too busy eluding dear father's dogged pursuit." Rebekah's voice rang from the stairs. "But thanks for the reminder." Entering the room, Rebekah sat down in her customary wingback chair. "When will we be done with this cesspool again? It's time to make a pitstop at the Tower of London. I'm definitely throwing that dreadful crown away though, or..." Rebekah tapped a finger to her lips, "perhaps I'll give it to Kol. I'm sure he'll find something amusing to do with it."

Caroline hid her eye roll behind the paper and it was all Klaus could do not to grin.

"I don't need the power of the Koh-i-noor to know you're making some sort of plebeian rejoinder, Caroline." Rebekah uncrossed her legs and leaned over, picking up a candle from the coffee table. "Where is the witch, and Jonas?"

Caroline flapped the paper in irritation. " _Bonnie_ and _Josh_ are still sleeping. Oh - and don't tell Josh about his Sharpie 'stache when he comes down. I want to go out today and see how long it takes him to figure out why everyone's staring at him." Caroline folded the newspaper and set it aside, glancing up curiously at Klaus who was still standing. "What are your plans for the day? Bonnie still needs some time to recuperate, so it's pretty much a free-for-all."

Klaus kept his face even, knowing that Rebekah was watching like a hawk for the most infinitesimal of reactions. "I thought perhaps I would visit your mentor, see if I could ask him a few questions."

Caroline looked nervous. "I don't think that's a good idea Klaus, you two don't seem to get along. I'd rather we both go, or have him come back here."

"Well that sounds a bit ridiculous. Abhi's a grown man, he can certainly speak up if he has a problem with me. We should be able to have an unsupervised conversation. Or are you just angry that you won't be able to go shopping with Josh until I get back?" He was deliberately riling her up, seeking a quick end to this line of questioning. He shouldn't have said anything, but he had wanted to show Rebekah he wasn't taking Abhi's threat idly. He just was unsure how to handle the situation quite yet, because Rebekah had been right about one thing - any other time and Klaus would simply have freed the man's heart of its human confines. What she didn't know was this..wasn't really about Caroline.

* * *

 _ **DELHI - October 1984**_

Klaus knew it was a poor excuse, but he was desperately lonely, and he deemed a city of five and half million people safe enough for all of them to hide in for a time. While the threat of Mikael loomed as large as it always did, Delhi had always been a favorite of Kol's, and he missed Rebekah's sharp wit. The coffins slid easily on their tracks as Klaus shuttled them out the windowless room just off the unused kitchen. He had stared for a moment at Finn's and his mother's enspelled coffin before leaving them to loom darkly, shutting the door with a resolute click.

Rebekah had woken first, skin warming from the grey-veined slow death of the white ash dagger as she slapped Klaus with a blow that sent his whole body reeling from the force. Kol stumbled in a few moments behind, wearing a hurt, bewildered expression that reminded Klaus so much of their childhood that his heart ached with it.

Now, days later, Elijah had been called in by Rebekah, who would still not say more than three words to Klaus at a time, and Kol was just returned from reveling in the simmering violence of a city perched on the razor's edge of upheaval. They stood as a united front in front of Klaus who faced them with a mulish expression.

"I dagger you to _keep you safe,_ " Klaus repeated. How did they not get it? "Kol's behavior attracts attention and you," he waved an imperious arm at Rebekah, "reveal too much because you let your heart get in the way."

"That's not for you to judge, Nik," Rebekah's tone was pleading.

"'We hope for faithfulness from the one who doesn't know what faithfulness is', Bekah." Klaus' eyes flickered to Kol . "Oh you're _shocked_ I can quote an Urdu ghazal, Nik? A thousand years does get a bit boring here and there without a spot of culture, yeah?" Kol was tossing a cricket ball as he spoke, the solid smack of the leather hitting his palm sounding in the air.

Kol's insouciance always tested Klaus in the best of circumstances. Right now it made him livid. "Am I the only one who cares about this family? About keeping us safe from _your beloved_ father who is hellbent on ensuring our death?"

"What kind of life is it, to be trapped in a box?" Rebekah retorted, leaning forward, her face inches away from Klaus'. "Oh how I _wish_ it worked on you Nik, for you to see, to feel that undying pause of the coffin."

"That's not and never will be the point, Bekah. None of you have any intention of keeping this family together, of upholding the true meaning of 'always and forever'. It is up to me, just as it has been for the past thousand years." Klaus tried to push through his siblings who stood between him and the door, Elijah stopping him with an iron grip circling his upper arm.

"Always and forever is a _pledge_ , Niklaus, not an _excuse_." Elijah's composure remained unbroken, the clipping of his words the only signal of his emotion. "For _hundreds of years_ you have wielded that phrase like a clumsy squire on the practice field. And we took the blows, from our coffins, from our pity." Klaus glanced up sharply at this and Elijah spotted the reaction. " _Yes_ , our _pity_ Niklaus. For father's treatment of you _was_ horrific, but it will never excuse your behavior now. The scales have long since been balanced on that account yet you persist in wearing the martyr's cloak and expecting all of us to just walk single-file in lockstep behind you. That is not what the PLEDGE IS FOR." Elijah's voice grew to a roar, his suit pulling as muscles bunched before a strike. Klaus caught the blow, white-knuckled grip straining with the effort, and Rebekah pulled Elijah back and towards the door with a muttered "He was, and is, _not worth it,"_ the last three words shot out as if from a pistol at Klaus who remained immobile, an unreadable expression on his face.

They left the house with the door echoing a complaint and Klaus looked up at Kol, who quickly erased his surprise at Elijah's fury. "Well go ahead, why are you still here, what with the clear familial bonding against me?"

The bitterness in Klaus' tone made Kol grin. His big brother always made it _so_ laughably easy.

"Oh, but then I would miss this dramatic performance, Nik. Please, show me how the knife twists in your heart, perhaps mutter a line or two about betrayal. I can take notes for the next time I compel a personal performance of Julius Caesar. The last one didn't quite get the pathos down right."

"Get OUT!" The snarl in Klaus' voice held more wolf than man.

"What? You want to be alone with your feelings? Paint it out? Oooh, perhaps an abstract that speaks of your inner pain and betrayal? Please, don't let me stop yo-"

Kol was too slow, too out of practice. Klaus snapped his neck with ease, letting the body drop unceremoniously to the floor.

He was going to draw, not paint, thank you very much.

* * *

And so Klaus found himself in a tea shop, nursing a chai and his wounds. He sat in a corner facing the windows; the instinct of the hunted. A young couple sat facing each other in the opposite corner, their heads wreathed in light and their conversation barely audible above the electric hum of a cooler lodged against the wall. Klaus could only see the face of the man, eyes bright under a heavy brow, a smile that lifted higher in one corner as he laughed at something the woman said. Klaus was simultaneously irritated and fascinated, pulling out a sketchbook and starting to draw the curve of the woman's hip, the fall of dark hair. He imagined her lips full and wanting, dark eyes filled with promise under an elegantly arched brow. He began sketching in her lover's face too, the eyes that never left her own, the visible restraint as he held himself back from touching her arm where a red bangle slid up and down as the woman illustrated a point.

 _Ah, newlyweds,_ Klaus thought.

He found himself lost in their conversation, the teasing and familiarity, the concern and passion. The man's eyes danced in humor, face stretched in a grin as the woman groaned exasperatedly at a particularly horrible joke.

A 2H pencil then, to begin darkening the brow. The woman remained a tracery on the paper as Klaus kept his focus on the man, something...something about the look on this man's face did more to break Klaus than his earlier sibling's rejection. He could picture the fault line across his heart spreading, the shell cracking as the heart lurched to spread the poison of life through his veins, the scream of a name to the cold, unanswering sky and oh, oh no, his thoughts would not go there today. Klaus slammed his sketchpad shut, the young man looking up at the noise, meeting Klaus' murderous gaze and dropping it in confusion at the hatred he saw there. A minute or two more and the man leaned across the table, resting his hand for a moment on his wife's, before getting up and heading towards the rear of the tea shop, studiously avoiding Klaus' gaze.

Klaus glowered a moment more, picking up his now tepid tea and draining it in a single gulp, delicately placing the cup down on the saucer as he stood. He was in control again. He was always in control. His siblings would come around, maybe not soon, but he knew they would. Rebekah would be first, a shy smile she only gave to him accompanying a private joke from centuries past. Kol - well, he would just need to find a diversion for Kol - something entertaining and perverse. Elijah remained the question mark, his resentment still burning in Klaus' gut like vervained blood. Klaus shoved the emotions away behind a door in his mind.

He approached the woman and gave a small cough. She turned and Klaus held his shock in well, for she was no beauty. Somehow this angered Klaus even more, for he could understand the aesthete's love of human beauty, but the man...oh how his eyes had drank her in, this average woman with her hooked nose and thin-lipped mouth.

 _Ah well._ Klaus thought as he sat on the bench seat next to the woman, pupils constricting as he compelled her not to scream. He felt the panic rolling off of her in waves as he drew her into a mockery of a lover's embrace and tore into her throat, going straight for an artery and taking deeper pulls than he normally would, he was running on a clock after all. The hissing of her blood grew faint, her heart a staccato beat as it strained faster to push through vessels collapsing from the loss of blood. A few more deep pulls, swallowing as quickly as he could; this wasn't something to savor. This wasn't a meal, this was control, this was power, this was the only truth there was. Love was merely a hooded stare in a coffee shop. Power was the choking flow of life down his throat.

He heard what he was waiting for just then, the scuff of leather on the sandstone floor of the teashop. His lips curved against his victim's neck as he sucked a final time, hard, feeling the moment when the heart stopped, letting his teeth recede with a well-oiled _snik_. He laid the woman's head down reverently on the glossy table top, smoothing away strands of hair sticky from the blood that had escaped down her neck. With a final, reverent brush of the hand across her shoulders, Klaus turned. The man was rounding the corner, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. His brow knit in confusion as he took in Klaus' bloody grin, his wife's sprawled limbs. Klaus was surprised by how quickly the man reacted, lurching forward with a cry, an inhuman noise erupting from his throat as he shook his wife's shoulders and the head thunked sickly on the table, baring the mortal wound.

The proprietor of the tea shop shook awake at the noise, falling from the stool where he, had he simply opened his eyes, would have witnessed a murder. He looked towards the door, which seemingly opened and closed of its own accord, the bells attached tinkling in an absurdist mockery.

* * *

 _ **DELHI, India PRESENT**_

Caroline slid the key out of the lock and pushed the door open, trying to keep as quiet as possible. Hearing Abhi's raised voice from the courtyard, she held her breath and snuck around the corner as she listened.

"...and I held her in my arms, her body cooling, while you strolled away into the streets of Delhi, her blood lacquering your mouth." Klaus stood motionless, having heard Caroline's approach. He closed his eyes.

"What's going on here?" Caroline stepped into the room, a tremor in her voice. "Abhi?"

Abhi jumped visibly, his eyes nervous. "Caroline, I -

"Who were you talking about. Who was he talking about, Klaus?"

Klaus' expression was solemn. "His wife."

Abhi's rattling breath echoed in the shocked silence that followed.

"Oh my god. That's why...that's the tension between you? Did you kill his wife, Klaus?"

Klaus turned to face her, heart lurching at the hopeful question in her eyes. She wanted him to say no, so badly. All for the best to rip the band-aid off then. "Yes."

Caroline let out a breath, her body visibly deflating.

"Just. Just go, Klaus. Get out. I don't know what you had planned but you're not causing Abhi any more pain. Get out. Now." Caroline shoved at Klaus' chest and he stumbled backwards in surprise.

"I came to -"

"Out."

Klaus' mouth turned down in a grimace. No one dismissed him like that. "You'd do well to remember not to speak to me like that again."

"Or what, Klaus? You'll kill me? Kill my mother's chance at life? For what, because I told you to leave? That's ridiculous. Grow up."

Klaus was unwilling to cede the point but somehow found his hand on the doorknob anyways. "We'll discuss this later."

Caroline didn't relax her glare until she turned back to Abhi who now sat at the courtyard's café table, back ramrod straight and gaze far away.

She hunched down, hand gripping his shoulder. "Hey, Abhi, come back to me. Please." His face was haunted, a thousand yard stare that took a terrifying moment to narrow and refocus on her. Her breath stalled at the pain in his gaze and her own eyes filled with tears. "I'm so sorry. Do you want to talk about it?"

"I swore," Abhi paused, cleared his throat to chase the hoarseness away. "I swore that I would find a way to kill him, find a way to hurt him one day. I studied, with my aunt. I learned about their twisted family, their mother and father, their invulnerability to almost everything. And then you come along, the pishachas, the secret of the cure, and he comes with all of it. Hand-delivered back into my city, into my waiting hands. And I can do nothing. Nothing. For even though I could _,"_ Abhi shook his head slowly, back and forth. "It would condemn your mother to death, condemn those of his sire-line to death. Good vampires, like you, like young Josh. I never knew." He said the last part wonderingly.

"Oh, Abhi." Caroline surged forward, turning Abhi bodily so that she could wrap her arms around him in a proper hug. It was still a bit of awkward with him sitting, but she managed. Abhi shut his eyes tight, face turned into her shoulder; he could feel his own dampen with her tears.

Caroline pulled away first, pulling a chair close and taking a seat. "I know it's probably not the right time, but what do you mean about sire-line?"

"Killing an Original means that all vampires that spawned from them, from the first sired to the last, would die as well." Abhi lifted a hand, circling in the air. "So killing Klaus would kill all vampires that he sired and any vampires he sired and so on and so forth down the line." He finished dispiritedly.

"So what you're saying is I can't kill him for you." Abhi shook his head in response. "Well there goes that plan." Caroline grinned and nudged him with a shoulder. "Sorry. I don't know why I'm turning this into a joke. I can't believe you lost your wife because of Klaus. I can't believe I still have to work with that murderous asshole in order to help my mom."

Abhi sighed and shook his head. "But Caroline, that is the other thing." He paused, gathering his thoughts. "It is obvious he cares for you. Even in the little time I've seen you tog-."

Caroline bristled, interrupting Abhi in her haste to deny. "Well that means nothing to me."

"It doesn't have to, but it _does_ mean something to me. I can no longer demonize him. I will always hate him, regardless of my beliefs, but right now…" Abhi paused, gaze turning inward. Caroline craned her neck to try to meet his eyes, encouraging him to continue. "Right now, I'm resentful. I'm angry that this...this has been taken from me. That I have lost the righteousness of the monster's death." Abhi closed his eyes tight, the lines cutting deep between his brows. With a sigh, he opened them again, the sadness in their depths causing Caroline's heart to contract and release with an aching pang.

"Whatever your future holds with him," Abhi held his hand up to stop Caroline's protest. "Whatever it is, for it will be something - it flickers between you like the lights of Diwali." Abhi stood abruptly, pulling up the tail of his kurta and reaching inside the waistband of his churidars. A stake veined with silver clattered on the table and Caroline looked at Abhi, confused.

"This is white oak, the only thing that can kill an Original vampire. Today I could have tried - with my aunt's magic, with this stake - but I chose instead," Abhi's voice shook, "to forgive."


	10. Chapter 10

**Whoo this chapter was rough. I made the mistake of rereading the story and I mean, there are some cool bits, but uajrhaejrhejrh at the rest of it, and it was a bit demoralizing. Seriously does anyone reread their own stuff and** ** _not_** **want to vomit? Oh well.  
**

 **1) There's a scene in here that's the first one I ever wrote for the story, and I've been trying to find a place for it ever since lol. 2) This chapter is 50% talking and 50% action, so if you don't like long-ass convos skip to the end. I like exploring how people think, even though (or perhaps especially because) Caroline is super difficult for me to write. 3) Still not sure how I feel about it, so posting now before I...don't. If you spot some glaring plothole in it, let me know.**

 **Thanks to everyone who's reading, I truly hope you enjoy. If you like, please let me know how I am doing. I am a giant dork and greatly appreciate every comment.  
**

* * *

Klaus's mouth is set in a grim line as he prowls the streets of Delhi, the wolf in him ranging under his skin and seeking release. He welcomes the instinct and heads north, passing the University and reaching the Northern Ridge where the forest briefly overtakes the city. A few acres in, one could almost forget they are amidst a city of 18 million were they not to possess Klaus' senses; for the film of pollution still coats the back of his throat and the juttering moped engines still sound like cannons in his ears. The Ridge is far, far smaller than he remembers and he scoffs lowly at the shortsightedness of humanity.

These humans and their constant folly. The horror of humanity is inescapable, he thinks, yet a baby vampire has served as his judge and jury because of the death of one. Millions upon millions claimed in the name of religion, race, and power and _he_ is the one to suffer from that look, those eyes that flashed with the dampness of unshed tears. He feels the hollowness in the pit of his stomach and the rage that comes close behind and lets the bones start cracking to begin his transition. After just a moment, he scents something in the air and pauses, his head cocking to the side with the wolf so close to the surface.

He straightens as the curious werewolves circle him and his hand closes around a vial in the pocket of his jacket. Perhaps there is a means of acquitting himself after all.

* * *

"Just a sec, geez!" Bonnie's voice is tired as she unlatches the front door. Caroline's fist pauses in midair when the door swings open; she sees Bonnie and her face crumples.

"Woah, woah, what's wrong?" Bonnie steps outside and wraps an arm around Caroline's shoulders, cold with the evening's chill.

Caroline's response is a sob that works its way up out of her throat and Bonnie gives a squeeze, feeling delicate bones beneath her grip. _Such a difference from hugging a boy_ , she thinks idly before her attention snaps back. She steers them upstairs into her bedroom, closing the door behind her.

"OK, spill. What's going on?" Bonnie knows she should probably be less blunt about the whole thing, but she's tired and it's not like she's used to having girlfriends, so blunt it is. She lights a bundle of sage with a flick of her wrist, the privacy spell as natural as breathing.

Caroline hiccups a few more times before launching herself on the bed, burying her head in the pillows. A slightly coherent mumble emerges from the depths of the bedding.

"How d'you do it?"

"What?" Bonnie pulls the pillow off Caroline's head and Caroline grabs at it, flipping around on the bed to face Bonnie, her chin settling on her hands.

"How do you work with a monster?"

Bonnie gives a short bark of laughter, the question so similar to her own a few weeks ago. Seeing Caroline's mouth twist downward, she puts out a hand - "No, no no, I'm laughing because I asked Grams almost the same thing recently. It's just weird, sorry."

However awkward the delivery, it seems to cheer Caroline up infinitesimally. "You're not used to having friends, are you?"

Bonnie's glower is the only warning before a pillow smacks the side of Caroline's head. Caroline's scoffs, affronted, before she jumps behind Bonnie with a pillow poised for revenge. The room descends briefly into a chorus of giggles and an occasional angry screech until they both collapse on the bed, breathing hard, and Caroline's face turns sad once again. It was good to have a distraction for a moment, but reality was patient.

"Klaus killed Abhi's wife. For no reason apparently. And I was starti-" Caroline cuts off, breaking Bonnie's gaze to look down at the bed, her hand rubbing along the seam of the blanket pooled across her lap.

Bonnie doesn't miss the pause and can guess what Caroline was about to say, but she lets it go. "Oh _no_ , Care….poor Abhi. That's so awful. Is he ok? What hap-?"

"-pened?" Josh and Bonnie's voices merge - he's right outside the door.

Bonnie looks to Caroline with a brow raised in inquiry and she nods, and mouths her thanks. Josh is pulled into the room but not before an imperious hand appears in the doorway.

"Ring."

Caroline rolls her eyes at Bonnie and Josh before taking off the cloaking ring and placing it in Rebekah's palm. Fingers curl around the jewelry and Rebekah's hand retracts, the door shutting with a heavy thud as she stalks off, presumably to go find her brother.

Caroline flounces back on the bed face first and rolls to her back, directing her words at the ceiling. "So, Klaus is a murderous asshole."

She doesn't say anything else and Josh looks to Bonnie for help. Bonnie helplessly grimaces, so he tries again.

"OK, so I mean, I guess I've known Klaus longer than you, but 'murdering asshole' is pretty textbook for him. Well, not always murdering. But asshole. So yeah."

Caroline lifts her head and looks at him incredulously. "Abhi's wife died because Klaus is a murdering asshole. Better?"

"Oh God, I'm sorry."

Caroline shakes her head at Josh, glaring daggers. "How do you work with him and just accept that killing people is part of it?"

"Yeah, um. I don't have a good answer for you, honestly. " Caroline raises a brow at him in a clear request for more information and he sighs. "Look, I came to New Orleans to have the time of my life and ended up with a dead friend and the urge to gnaw on people's necks for fun and nutrition." Josh's leg is bouncing up and down and Bonnie quietly puts a hand on his knee to stop him. "It's just - this is gonna sound all sorts of messed up. But I _like_ being a vampire, I _like_ knowing I'm strong and fast."

Caroline shrugs a shoulder. "I do too, but -"

"Hold on, let me get it out. I _like_ the power, and I _like_ being in the mix of things. And I mean I liked Marcel but Klaus pretty much nipped that in the bud after about two minutes, so Klaus it was. Ugh this sounds so freaking horrible." Josh studies the ceiling a moment before unfolding from the chair, his hands raised up to each side of his head, pushing back his curls.

"The supernatural world is crazy, and as an aside, I totally lowkey wonder if mermaids and unicorns are real too now, because hello? Anyways, Klaus has this weird twisted way of making me feel like I'm a part of something way bigger than myself, and I think it's mainly because I just...stay. Like he has his hybrids, but I'm the only one who makes a choice." He drops his hands and turns to face Caroline and Bonnie. "Aaaand I'm totally a horrible person."

Bonnie gives a small grin at this. "No you're not, Josh." She pauses, then shakes her head with a small laugh. "I was just legit gonna say 'Klaus tends to only kill people that try to kill him' like that's ok. God, we're ridiculous."

"See that's kind of what I'm afraid of." Caroline glances up and back down, clearly wanting to say more.

"What do you mean?"

"Is it just a matter of time? Like, will I start looking at death differently? At people? When will life matter less, or mean less? Because I -," Caroline sits up, tucking her legs beneath her and resettling, "I can kinda see how it happens. It's gonna _kill_ me when my friends and family die. I mean look at why I'm here! So will I stop trying to connect because of that? I mean, I don't think so, but I just…" She trails off for a moment, her fingers worrying at the blanket again. "I'm the very definition of a monster, guys. I drink blood to survive. I'm scared that I'll forget, that I'll lose what makes me human.

And look, Josh," She laughs at the stricken expression on his face. "I was just gonna say I'm totally with you on the 'better vampire than a human' thing - seriously you would _not_ have wanted to know me freshman year of high school - but I just…I look at Rebekah, at Klaus, and I worry that's the future. Treating life like it's nothing." Her eyes are huge in her face as she looks up and meets Bonnie's gaze.

Bonnie gives her a small smile. "You know what I think? I think it's like that old cliché where if you question your sanity it means you're still sane." She reaches over to a drawer next to the bed and pulls out a bottle, pouring some of the contents into her palm and rubbing them together. "Simply put - you're a good person, and since you're worried about becoming bad, that worry is what keeps you good." She pulls her hands through her hair, the scent of jasmine and vanilla filling the room. "It's just like anyone else, really. Do you stop growing, stop trying to work on yourself, or do you keep trying to become something better?"

Bonnie stands and wanders over to the bathroom, her voice echoing as she wipes hair oil off her palms with a hand towel. "Look, I know you're worried that being a vampire somehow changes things, and I admit I can't exactly relate to that part, but I still think it's the same question in the end. Do you care? Do you want to be better? Then that's what you'll be." She gives a sharp nod and Caroline can't help but smile, though it fades quickly.

"Do you think they stopped trying, then? Klaus and Rebekah?"

Josh tilts his head back and forth as if weighing the question while Bonnie pauses for a long moment before responding. "Yeah, I think they did, for a lot of things. I don't know. It's weird." Bonnie stands, arching her back in a stretch and sighing with contentment at a sharp crack. "I don't think they're pure evil, but yeah, I think they stopped...No, you know what it is? It's like one day they forgot to even ask the questions."

* * *

Even the creation of a new subcontinent of hybrids has done little to soothe the twisting in Klaus's gut. He is not ready to face her yet, not ready to see those eyes that, if he were to guess, will be flashing with anger and disdain, because each time he thinks about it, the guilt is immediately shut off by rage. So it is time then to quell it, to rend and tear and feel the blood drip down his canines because that is what he _is_ , what she is, and she is just too young to realize. He is simply following his nature when he kills, seizing the monster's advantage, embracing the darkness that hums underneath his skin.

And so Klaus finds himself on a street corner, the pre-dawn velvet sky a fitting backdrop for his work as his cold breath rises alongside the steam of organs strewn haphazardly on the pavement. There - his silhouette, hands smoking with clutched hearts before a careless thunk thunk on the paving stones. The air thick with fear, piss, blood, sweat. His senses on heightened alert, blood crisp and bubbling, thundering in his ears - god he never gets over how LOUD it is - the cacophonous off-rhythm pounding of multiple hearts. He considers it an artist's duty to return the score to a gentler cadence, a measured thud thud thudding stuttering out, the streetlights hissing backup with burned blood. His movements slow with a lick of his lips, eyes dulling and fangs receding. And just like every battle, that part, that small part of him cries out, if one can be petulant amidst such carnage. The difference in this battle is that which causes the cutting ache; for it is not Mikael as it normally is, but a blonde who looks at him with hate and hurt and hope in equal measure.

Hearing an alarmed salvo of Hindi, Klaus cocks his head for a moment, considering, gone then reappearing with three blank-gazed women, their saris bright against the foggy winter streets of Delhi. Klaus motions to the first of the bodies, a glassy-eyed vampire with a bright bloom where his chest once resided. "There's a dear," Klaus nods, all self-satisfied grin and expectant raised brow. The saris' hems grow dark with blood as the women silently drag bodies into a neat pile.

* * *

Caroline's mouth is tight when Klaus finally returns to the house. She keeps leaving the room when he enters and her stubbornness is _almost_ enough to impress Rebekah, if she weren't so annoyed at being left out of the conversation earlier. Not that she _wanted_ to hear the baby vampire complain.

"Will you tell your brother that we'll be infiltrating the step-well this afternoon? Bonnie's fully recovered and I need to get the hell out of this world and back to my mom." All said, of course, within earshot of Klaus, whose jaw clenches in annoyance. Rebekah rolls her eyes and continues tapping at her phone, giving a small smile when Nik's frustration makes him speak up.

"Caroline, this is getting ridic-"

"Oh, you think it's ridiculous, do you?" Caroline all but spits the words out. "You are unbe _lievable_!" She throws up her hands and leaves the room and Josh, now stuck in the room with the Original pair, awkwardly tries to blend into the wall.

"She's not going to forgive you, Nik. Let's just be done with this and get back to New Orleans already. Or we could just leave now." Rebekah is bored and tired of the pollution and noise, not to mention that faint tinge of fenugreek that seasoned all the blood in this town.

"For the last time, we are staying until after we find the cure. Caroline's temper tantrum notwithstanding."

"Seriously?" Klaus looks up at the word, used to hearing it from Caroline rather than Josh. "It's not a temper tantrum when you hurt one of her friends, Klaus. It's more like...righteous anger?"

Rebekah snorts at Josh's comment and Klaus glowers, his mouth turned down at the corners in willful mulishness.

It's when he clears his throat and swallows audibly that the air in the room shifts. "Is there... anything I can say to her, do you think?"

Rebekah's eyes widen at his words and Josh stammers in his surprise. "Um. Just give me a moment, that- that was - I didn't -".

"I can handle this, Jared." Rebekah breezes past and peers into her brother's eyes, gaze searching. "You really do care for her," she says, wonder in her voice.

* * *

Two originals, two baby vamps and a witch walk into a step-well. A setup to a bad joke, sure, but one with a hopeful punchline of the cure. They'd chosen daytime as their ally, hoping to at least keep the number of vamps down; because while they had power on their side, they certainly didn't have the numbers.

Caroline had swung by Abhi's earlier, blowing off some Klaus steam and urging Abhi to stay in his house as well as picking up the rest of collection of assorted witchery Myrna had given her what seemed like forever ago.

 _God_ , she really missed her mom.

With time being of the essence they now blast past Connaught Place, Josh and Caroline towing Bonnie between them as they speed past the bustle of the Metro. Hooking right onto KG Marg, they vault on top of the cars inching their way towards the city center, leaving mysteriously dented hoods in their wake. Caroline catches a foreign blur out of the corner of her eye and opens her mouth to warn the others, but Klaus has already sensed the threat, the blur now a motionless body 400 feet back and counting.

They arrive at the step-well with figurative guns blazing, Bonnie already starting a lulling chant near the stairs, Josh stationed at her back. Caroline scuttles around the side of the well to vault down from the back as she had done so many weeks ago with Abhi. Rebekah hangs back a bit, surveying the fenceline, before dashing and returning with two hearts clutched in her bloody grasp, a whine high in her throat.

"I thought this was going to be a _challenge._ "

"I see you enjoy tempting the fates," Bonnie drawls as a guttural shout breaks the stillness of the air and the first of the pishachas emerges from the step-well, grey skin gleaming with a pewter shine. He gives a roar and several voices echo it, creatures beginning to tumble up the stairs, drop down from the trees on the perimeter, and pile out of cars parked close to the ancient structure. There are more creatures than Bonnie can safely count at the moment - werewolves, vamps with daylight rings flashing, several witches crouching around a lit brazier reeking of incense. Josh nods at her and she lifts a hand towards the witches; they need to focus on getting them down first and then neutralizing the pishachas.

There's no way to truly capture in words how vamp-heightened speed looks, Klaus thinks to himself as he idly snaps a few necks to his left and knifes a hand through a werewolf to his right. The closest he has managed is to term it a syrupy slowness, motion caught in a smooth blur, so slow you could see, for example, the energy roiling off the hand that now tears through a witch's aorta. It's this drawing out of time that is the true wonder – watching motion split the air with an ocean's wake, seeing the thread of sinews unravel and split, a moment stretched out to marvel at the intricacies of the human form before the next scream demands its benefactor.

A thousand years, tens of thousands of bodies, and all he's ever revered is the victory, but as he sees a pishacha reach for Rebekah he rips the casing off a flame charm and whips it at the demon. The charm catches the pishacha between the eyes and it has a moment to drop its hand and turn towards Klaus before the charm explodes and a white-hot gout of flame consumes the demon. Time seems to stop even for the supernatural world, an inhuman cry rising from the pishacha. Rebekah darts away and cracks the neck of the nearest vampire, extinguishing the flames that caught her sleeve on the vamp's jacket before he collapses to the ground.

The pishacha's high wheedling screech becomes the soundtrack for the next minute of the battle. Flame licks at the dry winter grass and soon the ground is a pool of flames. Bonnie edges inside the well and huddles in an arched doorway, eyes trying to find a focal point amidst the chaos.

Eeeeeeeeeeeeeee -

Caroline adds to the grotesque symphony with the sound of cascading rubble and snapped vertebrae, the werewolf she's just hit sliding down the column, chin to his chest. She's running on instinct and adrenaline, hearing the whoosh of displaced air and ducking before the next blow lands. Caroline spins in a low circle and lashes out with a fist, her assailant's hair trailing up and out as she flies backwards from the blow before stumbling to her knees. Caroline feels the time slow, watches almost disbelievingly as her own hand punches through the girl's ribcage. She makes herself watch the light die in the girl's eyes and her hands shake but there's no time for this crisis of conscience. She stares a moment more at the eyes that stare endlessly into the sky, and her inhale is loud enough to cut through the high-pitched keening and the wet sound of blood spilled.

Bonnie is chanting in Louisiana Creole, trying to force a speech-binding spell on the other witches. A turbaned warlock is fighting her while the others try to reseat the brazier she'd overturned with an earlier spell. She hears a snarl behind her and whips around with a hand raised, ready to deliver an aneurysm, but it's just Josh in her line of sight, looking a bit confused as he eyes the lifeless body below him. Bonnie turns back around bites back a curse - the brazier's back up now and the witch with the really bad dye job is flourishing her hands dramatically. Bonnie snorts before picking up her chant from moments ago, feeling the magic start to weave into place. _They'll get one spell out_ , she thinks, _hopefully it won't be a doozy_.

Rebekah is entertaining herself by using someone's arm as a bat - she thinks Kol would be proud - when the smell of ozone taints the air. The vampire with the horribly tacky daylight ring raised to defend his head from Rebekah's limb beating begins glowing with a dull red light.

Rebekah sighs, pokes the hand at the vampire's chest, and watches the fingers shrivel and blacken. _Wonderful_.

"Bonnie! Could you perhaps pull your weight and do something about our suddenly untouchable foes?!" Rebekah bites off as she catches Klaus' gaze across the battlefield. She waves a greeting at him with the dismembered arm and watches a grin split his face before he's gone in a flash of movement.

 _Weapons._ Klaus speeds back to an earlier kill, grabbing a short dagger and a katta with one round which he immediately shoots, blowing the face off of a werewolf who had gotten a bit too cocky and a bit too close. Klaus twists his grip, knuckles up, and swings his arm in a smooth arc, sending the spent pistol spinning to shatter the jaw of a young werewolf who turns and runs in the opposite direction, cradling his mouth.

Even if they could find enough weapons, this is now an uphill battle, as they've lost the element of surprise. Klaus dashes towards the steps and searches for Caroline, sees the shadow of her hands shaking imperceptibly as a body drops. Bonnie is to his right, holding her own as Josh awkwardly fends off attackers. They're lucky the enemy is not well organized, or he'd have to protect the witch himself.

Caroline is nearing the arch where the stones she toppled weeks ago still lay strewn about the walkway. She looks out and up, trying to spot a familiar face in the melee, and sees Klaus' face split in a double-fanged roar as he pulls a stake out of his chest, flips it, and drives it into his attacker's chest. She can almost hear him thinking _turnabout is fair play._ He is brutal and efficient and something about it makes her shiver in a way she's not quite ready to name. He turns to her just then, and even in their amber ferocity his eyes soften, an unspoken question asked as they trail over her form, checking for injuries. She nods an ok and turns away, ducking through the archway and trailing her hand on the damp wall of the small chamber.

The air is musty and still inside, and the room, despite the gaping hole in it, is surprisingly insulated from the noise beyond. A sandstone slab bisects the room, and a small, wooden coffer sits on top of it. Caroline's heart drops so far into her stomach someone could stake her right this moment and she'd still be alive - it's the cure, so innocuous in its humble wooden box.

It doesn't even register that she's whispering _Mom_ under her breath when she lurches forward, hand brushing the top of the coffer. The wall seems to move towards her at the same time and she recognizes a beat too late that it's... not actually a wall. The demon's hand closes around her own and squeezes and the snap of delicate bones echoes in the vaulted chamber like a gunshot. Caroline sucks in a breath, the pain blurring her vision at the edges.

"I expected someone much stronger to be herald to our queen." The pishacha's voice is like gravel underfoot.

Caroline isn't here to to be a herald for anything, _thank you very much,_ so she dips to the right, grimacing as she tugs at her captive hand and pain lances up her arm. The pishacha lets go more from surprise than anything else, expecting her to be weak from the energy drain. He's still staring dumbly at his own hand when she darts around him and grabs the wooden coffer in the crook of an arm, speeding to the tumbled masonry of the entrance. A flame charm drops from her good hand and she can't resist giving the demon her best Miss Mystic Falls smile before it disappears behind a wall of flame.

 _There's too many of them, even for us_ Rebekah admits, tossing a dagger slick with blood into the eye socket of her closest assailant. She hears Nik to her left, laughing his way through a swath of vampires, and wonders why he doesn't seem worried. He _has_ to have something up his sleeve, but she's not sure if she has time to wait for it. A girl in a beautifully vibrant sari reaches for her and Rebekah is too slow this time, feeling a hand curl around a shoulder and tug. Rebekah's confused when her skin doesn't begin to blacken and wither, reality setting in when the girl's eyes flash red and a guttural, decidedly un-female laugh emerges from the girl's throat. Rebekah pulls away quickly but she can feel the drain, a heavy weight burning through the protective spells from their mother's grimoire and settling in her bones, slowing her down. Klaus better pull that trick _now_.

You don't fight a thousand years alongside someone without being able to read minds a bit, so it's not surprising that Rebekah's plea is quickly answered. Klaus lifts his head and howls, the sound incongruent in the bright daylight, and answering howls sound from all around. Rebekah wonders how he found time to befriend a werewolf clan; realizes he bypassed friendship and went straight to hybrids as she sees the newcomers' fangs descend. They pour into the step-well grounds, brandishing wide-bladed swords which they wield to great effect. One rushes at the disguised pishacha and chops downwards, slicing several inches into the demon who shrugs the blow off and turns to face its latest assailant. Rebekah flashes to a nearby tree and snaps off a sturdy branch, lighting it in the licking flames that have almost completely consumed the step-well grass. Rushing forward, she heaves the pointed end upwards, entering just below the side of the demon's jaw, piercing through the top of his mouth and into his brain.

The chaos has begun to die down when Bonnie lets the magic slip. The turbaned warlock senses it, shouts a phrase in Punjabi, and now Bonnie floats in a river of pain; her arteries tributaries, pushing fire through her body as her heart pumps a savage beat. Her body topples to the ground and she stares up into the grimy sky, drawing short, puffing breaths. Josh's face appears above her, and she's distracted for a moment by his mangled lower jaw before the agony throbs again and unconsciousness offers its relief.

Caroline's somehow both hyperventilating and vaulting up the stairs to where Bonnie lays crumpled. She puts the coffer to the side before grabbing Bonnie, cradling her and smoothing her hair away from her face.

"She's alive, but her heartbeat is faint." Caroline looks up at Josh. "Did you see what hit her?"

Josh shoves his jaw back into place with a sickening crunch, opening and closing his mouth in a stretch before shaking his head no. His voice sounds a bit garbled when he speaks. "I'm sorry. I was getting curb-stomped by that dude." He points to a werewolf whose head now rests about three feet from the rest of his body, courtesy of Klaus. "Well, ground-stomped, technically. When I was able to get up, she was like this already."

Caroline turns pleading eyes to Rebekah and Klaus, who each shake their heads no in response. Her voice is wavering when she speaks again. "Josh, can you call Abhi? He'll know what to do."

"Caroline, she's been spelled. There's nothing we can do without a witch. I have a contact in Mumbai, we'll get her here as quickly as possible." Klaus's tone is gentle, but when Rebekah sees the stubborn set of Caroline's jaw, her own is not.

"Instead of sitting here arguing about it while the pishachas regenerate because _they can't be killed_ why don't we head back to the house, hmm?"

Caroline bites back a retort, mumbles an assent instead as she stares down at Bonnie's still open eyes. There's a thin red film hazing the whites, and they won't stay closed when Caroline gently pushes Bonnie's eyelids down. What if she did all this - the spell, the battle, the cure - and ends up losing Bonnie, this new friend that feels so oddly like an old one?

Josh nudges her with a shoulder and Caroline passes Bonnie over before picking up the wooden coffer and tucking it under an arm. Josh and Rebekah speed off first but Caroline stands a moment more, Klaus watching her with his blood-soaked henley underpinning the solemnity of his gaze. She closes her eyes, breathes in, and nods her thanks. They leave the scene as the first of many police lights to come spirals in the evening air.


	11. Chapter 11

**Yes, I'm still working on this story! I needed to work out some other stuff for a bit - check out my drabble collection in my profile if you want to see what I've been up to. It gave me a chance to stretch my writing legs on some other ideas, and was something I desperately needed.**

 **The song referred to here is Arvo P** **ärt's Cantus in Memory of Benjamin Britten. I'm not really a classical girl, but this song is probably the most beautiful, sad song I've ever heard in my life, and I can totally picture Klaus revering it as much as I do.**

 **The chapter is short but I feel like I'm packing so much in already. TW for Damon and sexual assault discussion at the start. Never fails to piss me off thinking about how he treated Caroline, so I get a bit of that out here while furthering the story at the same time. Win win.**

* * *

"Will she be OK?" Abhi asks as he pours chai that's been bubbling on the stove into two earthenware mugs.

"I don't know. She's not responsive, and her seizures keep pulling out the IV." Caroline reaches up at the offered mug and curls both her hands around the comforting warmth. "We need magic to fight magic, so...K-Klaus has us visiting a witch his family knows." She glances up at Abhi with concern. "Sorry, I feel like saying his name is like Voldemort now." At Abhi's confused look Caroline waves a hand in dismissal. "I just mean that I don't want to bring him up if I can help it, but it's really hard not to."

The confusion turns to understanding and Abhi gives a wry grin. "You do not need to concern yourself with my feelings, Miss Caroline." He holds his hand up as she opens her mouth to retort. "I can own my own grief, Caroline. I love that you care, truly, but I am alright. To be honest, I am distracted by who he seems to have become now. There is some part of him that is giving freely to you, and it does not click with the monster I met those years ago." He takes a sip of chai, the milky tea tipping the ends of his newly-grown mustache white, and Caroline stifles a giggle. "What?"

"You've got a little something there -" Caroline hands a napkin over. "What do you mean by giving freely?"

"Have you not questioned why him and his sister help you? Why they have traveled across the world to lend their aid? Especially when you have seen the dark monster that lies beneath?"

Caroline considers for a moment and realizes that no, she _hadn't_ thought about it. At all. Because despite everything, she realizes with growing confusion, she _trusts_ Klaus. Which seems all kinds of wrong in the face of experience and Abhi's grief. She thinks of Mystic Falls, her own damaged soul, and the friends that did not give her a voice to speak, and she swallows, the words somehow both heavy and buoyant in her throat.

"When I was human, a vampire compelled me." Caroline glances up at Abhi through lowered lashes, uncomfortable with her next words. "To be his blood bag for him, to have sex with him." Abhi pulls in a sharp breath and his eyes turn hard and angry as Caroline continues. "I didn't really know or understand what was going on, but my friends saw the damage, had at least a suspicion. It wasn't until I was turned that the truth came out, and I was so angry. To be violated in such a way, both body and mind, and despite it all this guy was still part of our circle of friends." Caroline blows out a shaky breath, trying to calm down, and a fine dusting of clay falls from the mug she's been squeezing a bit too hard.

"My friend Elena even ended up dating him, falling in love. Told me that "he changed", and I couldn't accept it, still can't. I don't think I'll ever be ok with what happened, to be honest. To know that my friends dismissed what happened to me as nothing, that they dismissed _me_ as nothing, really hurt."

Abhi slides an arm across the table and grabs Caroline's hand in his own, curling thick fingers around her delicate ones. "This isn't the same, Caroline. You're not dismissing my wife's death or my feelings. If I sat here right now and said to not ever speak to Klaus again, and to find another way to cure your mother, I know you'd accept that. You give me the power that your friends should have given you."

Caroline shakes her head as if to clear it and sends a sniffling, watery smile across the table. She's not really ready to accept Abhi's point of view or forgive herself, but it feels good to at least talk to him about it. Murmuring a thanks, she exhales a shaky breath, jumping with a start at her phone juddering across the table on vibrate. She scoops up the phone before it can make any more noise and checks the latest text:

 _ **I have a car out front. Time to meet with the witch.**_

* * *

 **Several Hours Earlier**

"Just in case you were unaware, Miz Bennett is hella pissed." Josh debates whether to sit near the two Originals in the living room, leans against the threshold instead.

"Oh is that why there's a pulverized phone in the kitchen?" Rebekah drawls with a sideways glance at Klaus, who answers with a quick exhale through his nose and shrugs, unconcerned.

"The only important thing she had to say was that we couldn't leave India without breaking the curse. After that, I'll admit the threats started getting a bit repetitive."

"So she was familiar with the spell?" Josh asks, perking up.

Klaus shakes his head. "No, just that the curse, and its symptoms, sounded like something old and ancient and tied to the magic of this place. She doesn't want us to take a chance with Bonnie by moving her out of India." He pauses a moment. "And Caroline wouldn't want us to either, so I've arranged a meeting with a witch just outside the city."

Rebekah snorts at this admission, and Klaus looks up and asks a question he knows the answer to. "What?"

Glancing back and forth at the tension growing between the two Originals, Josh mouths 'Ooookaaaaay' and spins out of the room as fast as vampirically possible. He's not paid enough to deal with sibling drama.

Klaus repeats the question. "What, dear sister, do you find so amusing?"

Rebekah shakes her head in dismissal and changes the subject. "Elijah called this morning. Marcel's supporters are still very much a presence in the Quarter. He needs us back, Nik. The wolves are becoming increasingly unruly and Kol isn't helping matters, enraging the witch community with his pranks"

Klaus glowers, still focused on the unanswered question. "By all means, Rebekah, run home to Elijah. I'm certainly not forcing you to stay."

"You're the one who wanted to be 'King of New Orleans'," Rebekah crooks her fingers in the air, underpinning the sarcasm in her tone. "You cut a swath of destruction so you could put a crown on your head and declare everyone your subjects; then left Elijah to clean up the mess." She crosses the room towards the foyer, turning back as she reaches the threshold. "Yet here, with her, it's almost as if you've grown soft, Nik."

Klaus stares at her in challenge, face so unyielding that his next words are a surprise. "And what if I have, Rebekah?"

Rebekah has already opened her mouth, ready for a retort, but her breath falters at his unexpected response. She narrows her eyes as she considers his question, looking back up to meet his gaze and shaking her head in disbelief; for only _this_ brother, this ravaged wolf, would let the softest truth lie hard in his eyes like a gauntlet thrown.

* * *

Not the best time to think of boundaries, what with Bonnie lying in the backseat, wrapped in thick straps to suppress the shudders, but there it is. Caroline shakes her head as if to dislodge her thoughts, raising a dismissive hand at Klaus' questioning gaze. His eyes linger for a few beats longer than they should, and she's very much unsure how she feels about that.

But for now, her thoughts are more caught up in Abhi's words, and how the lines she's drawn in the sand are wavering; so she lets her eyes track the landscape through the window as her mind takes its own course.

Klaus sits next to her, grip hard on the wheel. He sneaks glances as Caroline wrestles with something, her eyes betraying the struggle. Turning back to the road, he watches the seemingly inescapable cityscape of Delhi finally recede in the rear view; the tires trail billowing dust. A woman's bright sari breaks up the dull brown of the road, basket perched atop her head, and a small herd of goats bleats at the car spearing through the countryside.

Disused to situations where violence or manipulation can't take the lead, Klaus feels out of place and a bit helpless. At a loss for words, he hits shuffle and the strains of Arvo Pärt fill the air until a furrow of Caroline's brow has him awkwardly stabbing at the power button.

"No it's - leave it. It's beautiful," she murmurs, resting her face against the glass.

A brief return of mortality, that heartbeat thud of joy sounding in his chest, tolling out like the bell that underpins the graven voice of the orchestra. She couldn't know this piece moves him deeply, he thinks, trying to disparage the reaction, the feeling. It doesn't work, and some disused part of him creaks in warning.

She does not say anything else, but something in her face has shifted and he knows she isn't quite so far away anymore. Klaus relaxes into the buttery leather and gives her another sideways glance.

"Rupee for your thoughts?"

Caroline does one of those slow, exaggerated double-takes and groans. "Oh my gooooood Klaus, you are the oldest old man to ever old man. Are you going to pull a coin from my ear next?"

"No," he says, dimples cutting. "I'm driving."

* * *

The witch greets them at the door with a vicious stare that softens the moment she sees Bonnie. She flips a dark fall of hair over her shoulder and turns, bidding them to follow. Klaus motions Caroline forward in a gesture of chivalry that sends Caroline's eyes into orbit and she follows the witch to a small bedroom tucked in a rear corner of the house. Caroline lays Bonnie down on a small daybed and the witch bends over her immediately, running a hand over Bonnie's prone form while chanting lowly.

"This is _old_ magic. I can feel the age of it pulsing through her veins." The witch's eyes flicker behind closed lids, her face a rich mahogany. The air thickens with magic and Caroline rubs at the gooseflesh that pops up on her arms. "Old and strong," the witch continues. "It's a curse of the blood, fire in her veins. Your young witch is lucky to be alive."

Caroline draws a breath to respond and Klaus cuts in, voice sharp. "Spare us the doom and gloom, Richa, and remove the curse."

Richa's eyes remain closed but her tone betrays her annoyance. "If you let me finish, I don't think there's anything I _can_ do, at least not immediately. It's unlike any curse I've seen, and to unravel it will require magic as ancient as that used to cast it. I'll need to look up some old magic to bring her back," she repeats lamely when no one responds.

Caroline finds her voice amidst the panic bubbling up in her throat. "We don't have time for that, she's dying. She has constant seizures and we can't get an IV to stay in." Richa's face softens at the obvious concern and she opens her eyes.

"I'll do what I -" Richa pauses, her eyes widening. "You -" she says, pointing at Caroline. "There is a darkness at your edges, a darkness of old blood and shadows. Someone stands in your wake."

Klaus stares at Caroline, trying to see what the witch refers to, but all he sees is the fear and confusion in her eyes. "Richa, you rival my sister with your grand dramatics, but now is _not_ the time. What are you talking about? What darkness touches Caroline?"

"It's not something to explain, but to witness. Here." Richa waves her hand in a flourish and the air around Caroline seems to shift. A long shadow stretches out in in front of her in the opposite direction of the light's path. It wavers a moment and disappears, but not before Klaus sees the silhouette, full breast and hips quite unlike Caroline's cheerleader slimness.

"Who was that?" Klaus growls.

"Who was what?! OK seriously, are you guys going to keep talking like I'm not here?" Caroline sets her stance wider and places her hands on her hips. "And no offense, but can we talk about it later because my friend here is, like, dying?"

Richa's face is abashed. "Of course, Caroline, is it? I need a day - two at the most - to contact my coven and unearth the ancient magic that can combat your friend's curse. Most of the old spells were lost, or revised and revamped over time, and their counters with them. To counter a spell you have to understand its construction, and the ancients weaved spells in a way far different than we do today." Richa kneels down next to Bonnie, passing a hand over her forehead. "For now, I can at least calm the seizures." She glances back at Caroline and her face is troubled. "I will come to you, in the city, so that you don't have to transport her again."

Caroline smiles in thanks and searches Richa's unlined face. "Thanks Richa. Should I worry about whatever," Caroline waves at herself vaguely, "or whoever you saw with me?"

Klaus's gaze arrows at Richa, waiting for her response.

"I do not know, Caroline." Richa says grimly. "You've brought two mysteries into my house tonight."

* * *

"Ugh, the pollution is horrible here," Caroline wrinkles her nose at the grey haze that hangs over Delhi. The ride back looks to be infinitely slower than the ride in, as they're heading in to the tangled morass of roads that play host to Delhi's considerable traffic.

"Humans are not known for their foresight," Klaus responds, absently blaring his horn at an offending auto-rickshaw. "One of humanity's many flaws - when life is so short, to care about the future beyond a lifetime is not something people readily do."

"Oh right. I see. And I'm guessing you're the president of the Vampire Green Committee then?" Caroline snipes sarcastically, waving a dismissive hand.

Klaus' expression shifts from professorial to mulish. "Just because I don't sugarcoat humanity doesn't mean I deserve your ire."

Caroline is distracted from her retort as they merge onto Ring Road from the NH10 and chaos descends. Klaus reaches a hand out and folds the side view mirror flush with the car seconds before a diesel-spewing truck passes with inches to spare. He grins at Caroline's shriek and joins the insanity by bumping into the stalled car ahead of him, pushing it until it starts with a groaning cough. The driver waves distractedly in the rearview before honking his horn at the latest obstruction.

"How...how does anyone get _anywhere_ here?" Caroline's voice is awed.

"In a wonderful storm of chaos," Klaus yells joyfully over the blaring horns and Caroline can't help but grin, even as she pulls her knees up into her chest to make herself smaller. She flinches at the closeness of the car sliding by her window and Klaus pulls in his lips to suppress a laugh.

"Just because I'm not the oldest guy in existence who's experienced _everything_ doesn't mean you can laugh at me, you know."

"I know, Caroline. I know." Klaus breezes out with an easy grin and Caroline huffs again, turning away from him, then turning back when the man in the sedan next to her gives a lascivious grin from inches away. Klaus almost feels sorry for her, she's so clearly discomfited, but decides it's just too funny not to laugh. The affronted expression on Caroline's face at his first bark of laughter makes it worse, and then she surprises him by joining in. Their eyes lock for a moment before he turns back to the road, and it's all he can do not to pull over and haul her into his arms.

* * *

Bonnie's lying in her bed, the seizures calmed for now, and Caroline turns the coffer from the step-well over in her hands for what feels like the six hundredth time. There are no words carved in the seamless surface of the box, just an intricate pattern of vines and leaves inset with gold. Caroline runs her hands over the engravings, searching for a button to press - some way to open the damned thing.

Sparing a glance to her right, she watches the slow rise and fall of Bonnie's chest for a moment before turning back to the coffer. Was _nothing_ going to be easy? Bonnie hurt, the curse being some gajillion-years old thing that had to be unraveled; the cure stuck inside a stupid box while her mom was dying an entire world away? Really, world? Could at least one thing go right? Caroline sucks in a breath and feels frustrated tears well up in her eyes, just as a footfall sounds in the hallway. Fabulous.

"May I see?" Klaus looks at her from the doorway with a solicitous grin, brows raised high in his forehead. Caroline gives him a guarded look but nods, and he kneels down next to the bed, pulling the box to the edge. There's something thrilling about seeing Klaus knelt before her, attentive, and her tears are forgotten as she stares at his tousle of curls. Bent over the box, he gives a small hum and looks up at her, and a wicked grin splays across his features just before he bites into a wrist and lets the blood spot the surface of the coffer.

For a moment, the only sound in the room is the muted drip of blood hitting wood. Caroline feels her fangs extending at the rich smell of his blood and ducks her head to hide her hunger from his own ravenous gaze. She's never been more thankful for a distraction as the coffer begins to split, cracks spreading like a growing tree across the box's surface, and a rich, red glow emerges from behind the wood. There is a sudden, almost deafening sound of a heart beating and Caroline realizes it's coming from the lit stone that Klaus now cradles in his hands, red light shooting through the cracks in his fingers. The light inside the stone contracts and expands in time with the repeated _thwack-thud_.

"It's a heart." Caroline states the obvious. Klaus looks up at her before sweeping his gaze back down. "How did you know blood would open it?"

"Because I knew there had to be something more to me being here than just helping you fight some demons." Klaus gives a nonchalant shrug, but Caroline can see he's immensely pleased with himself. "And because _all_ things in this world, in these many lifetimes, begin and end with blood."

* * *

"You should eat," Josh says, tossing the blood bag at her before she can decline. "You've been sitting up here all day."

Caroline smiles in thanks from her perch on the end of the bed, sliding the bag underneath her thigh to warm for a few minutes to take off the chill. Blood _never_ tasted good cold. "Thanks Josh. It's hard for me to think about food when Bonnie's like this."

"At least we've got the IV in her now." Josh pulls a chair up next to the bed and brushes hair away from Bonnie's forehead before looking up at Caroline with worry. "Why does she look worse?"

"I don't think you're supposed to survive this spell. Good thing Bonnie's a badass." Caroline's face pushes through the routine of smiling, gives up at the eyes. "I'm scared too. What if Richa can't help in time?"

"She'll figure it out. I spent the day scanning Abhi's book collection and Dropboxing it to her with a keyword search program I cobbled together in Python." Josh takes a bite of some papadum he's brought in with him and holds a piece up to Caroline with a questioning look. She waves a hand in dismissal and pulls out the blood bag from under her leg, raising the bag to him in a toast. They listen to the heartbeat of the cure that sits on the nightstand, crimson glow suffusing the room. Josh's leg starts to twitch, nervous energy seeking release, and he opens his mouth to speak.

"That thing creeps me out, not gonna lie."

Caroline dissolves into shocked laughter and Josh smiles a hidden smile, mission accomplished.

* * *

Caroline can't tell if the red light is sunrise or just the glow from the beating cure when she wakes up the next morning, sleep crusting an eye shut. There's a clinking sound of metal slapping, repetitive, and Caroline waves a hand idly as if her hand has the power to mute the world.

"Wha-what?" A hard blink, two. Eyes focus and Caroline jumps up in alarm, screaming. Bonnie's arms are taut in their restraints, the buckles pinging against each other from the force of her seizure. Her eyes are open and the red film over them is almost opaque, her irises just dark smudges underneath.

Klaus slams into the room through the door Caroline had locked last night for privacy and streaks his gaze across Caroline before settling on Bonnie's fitful movements.

"Klaus, she's dying. We don't have time. What do we do?" Caroline looks about, panic bringing back tortured human breath.

"It's ok, Caroline, we'll use the herbs Richa gave us to stop the seizures again."

"I just used them two hours ago before I fell asleep. They're supposed to last six." Caroline's voice spirals up as she tilts Bonnie's head back, saying an automatic thanks as Klaus takes over to hold it fast so that Bonnie won't swallow her own tongue.

"I can't do this, Klaus. I can't have her die, not when all she came her to do was help _me."_ Caroline's voice is choked with the weight of panic and guilt. Bonnie makes an incoherent noise and blood begins to run from her nose in thick rivulets.

"Get Richa on the phone, now," Klaus barks at Rebekah and Josh standing in the doorway and Rebekah pulls out her cell, walking out of the room to give a bit of space.

Klaus turns back and Caroline is wiping away the sweat from Bonnie's brow with an idle hand. The beating heart of stone has been removed from the nightstand and lies in her other hand that's swiftly approaching Bonnie's chest.

" _NO!"_ he roars, loud and dangerous enough to still Caroline's hand for the second it takes Klaus to grab it, the heart inches away from Bonnie's own. "No," he says, softer this time, ducking his head to meet Caroline's fierce gaze. She strains at his grip and he swallows thickly.

"You know what this will mean, Caroline, if you give Bonnie the cure." He watches her face crumple as she nods, but her grip still tugs and pulls at the beating heart in their clasped hands. His throat closes further. He catches her gaze again, to bear witness to her choice, and there's a flash in those blue eyes beneath that high brow and - _oh-_ is this what loyalty is?

He lets her go.

Two heartbeats merge.

The red film clears, and a breath shudders deep.


	12. Chapter 12

**Idk what came over me writing this so fast. This is more of a characterization chapter than plot, and I got to write grams again who may be my fave character. Short but I kinda want to just roll with my instincts so here you go.**

 **BTW - I was so excited at having three reviews on the last chapter. I know this story isn't the type to get a ton of reviews, and I'm really ok with that, but seeing three was like !? YAYASYAs. Thank you guys, really made my week. A thank you to the silent readers as well, it's really good to know that some people are continuing with this story.  
**

 **More notes at end because I can't ever shut up.**

* * *

Caroline closes her eyes to shut out the look on Bonnie's face. She understands it, of course, Caroline knows the weight of guilt and can recognize it in Bonnie's pulled brows, the glassy stare. But pity and shame aren't what she needs right now. She's very much aware of her sacrifice, but she would do it again in a heartbeat, and she just wishes everyone else could _move on already_.

She lets her irritation cover the ache her heart and excuses herself from the room, heading downstairs to try to find some quiet. She spots a door in the kitchen she's never noticed before, probably because it resembles the neighboring cabinetry and has no handle. But today she can see light limning the door and she pushes, hearing a click and feeling the door rebound into her hand.

The room inside is empty, carpeted unlike the rest of the house, thick plush carpet she feels her feet sink into. There are divots in the rug, equally spaced; something - several heavy things - tamped down the carpet at some point in time. She kneels down and scrabbles her hand along the floor, fluffing up the fibers in one of the indentations. It's quiet in here, the low hum of a fluorescent bulb the only accompaniment, and she finds herself lying down on the floor staring up at that bright light.

She thinks of time stretching out through the years, and how her mom will no longer have any of it. She thinks of her dad, and she wishes none of this was a choice because she's tired of others making it. She wants to shove vampire blood down her mom's throat and snap her neck and force her to drink when she wakes because then, then Caroline won't be so _alone_.

The thought flits across her mind that maybe she's better off staying here, and she feels sick that she even entertains it for a moment. But there's nothing much back there for her; she would miss Matt, and what her friendship with Elena used to be pre-Salvatores, but other than that? There's not much to be missed. There's no Bonnie with her now-familiar dry wit, no adorable Josh, no Abhi, no... Klaus. She's surprised at her thought, tries to take him off the list, but he's already there, and just _try_ to unthink an idea.

Regardless, she _has_ to go back, _has_ to be with her mother as her life wanes. There is nowhere else that she could be.

Tired of angry, useless thoughts, Caroline lets the fluorescent hum lull her to sleep until the click of the door wakes her up hours later. Rebekah is leaning against the doorway, carriage somehow still impeccable even with the casualness of her pose.

"Not sure if you're done feeling sorry for yourself, but I don't really care. My flight to New Orleans leaves in a few hours. You're going to get up and go explore the city and enjoy what little time you have left here." She thrusts a pair of tickets at Caroline, who rises to standing and grabs them, confusion in her eyes.

"Like I'm supposed to go celebrate the fact that my mom's going to die?"

"Look, I don't have time for the whining, but if you look at it logically, you really didn't have many options. Without Bonnie alive, the spell she cast to bind you here can't be undone properly. You'd be worse off than you are now - stuck here, with the cure and no way to go back and actually use it."

Rebekah's voice turns soft for a moment. "For what it's worth, I respect your choice, even if the intent was stupidly noble."

Caroline snorts at this, then waves the tickets at Rebekah. "Why are you doing this? Why try to be...your version of nice to me now?"

Rebekah curls a hand around the door jamb, eyes taking Caroline's measure for a long moment before she responds.

"Because he's different with you," Rebekah says simply. With those words barely in the space between them, she slips out of the doorway, leaving Caroline to stand there, staring sightlessly at the tickets in her hand.

* * *

"Ooooh oooh I call the wingbacked chair now that Rebekah's gone!" Josh's eyes are alit as he races into the living room, landing in the chair after an impressive sock slide across the hardwood floor.

Bonnie shakes her head with a smile that's ragged at the edges. It doesn't go unnoticed.

"Bon - she's ok with it. She's out now, trying to have fun on some weird I-REALLY-don't-want-to-call-it-a-date-with-Klaus, but Rebekah forbade me from going with her. Anyways, you need to learn to be ok with this too."

"Are you serious? She sacrificed her only chance at her mom's cure for _me._ Don't even _tell_ me you'd be ok with that sitting on your shoulders. There's no way, Josh." Bonnie sighs and bends over the coffee table, idly picking at some wax leftover from one of her castings. "I wish Grams were here."

"Well, you can talk to her. I installed Skype on her computer last time I was there, showed her how to use it." Josh's gaze skitters up and back down as he talks. Bonnie knows he's uncomfortable with her stern words, and loves him all the more for still trying.

"Wait - did you just say Grams has Skype? This I have to see." Bonnie throws the wax she's been playing with at Josh to get him to look at her, and her smile is real this time, growing bigger when she sees his eyes light up anew. He scrambles off the chair, words rushing out about getting his iPad from upstairs. He's back in a flash, tapping away at the screen in his hands before looking up and squinting at Bonnie. "What time is it over there, anyways?"

"12 hour difference, Grams will be up." Bonnie says as she scoots over on the chaise lounge, patting the seat beside her. Josh slides in and sits the tablet on the coffee table, angling it to face them as the call connects.

"Lord, that noise scared the bejesus out of me." One corner of Grams' head is visible in the screen and Bonnie giggles, tension already draining from her face at the first sounds of Grams' voice. "You almost just found out how computers react to hexes." The corner of her head moves a bit, springy dark curls tinged with grey. "Can't tell you how glad I am to see your face, girl. You had us all worried."

Bonnie's smile slides off her face. "Yeah, I'm still here."

Josh gives her a moment, interrupting with a "Hey Grams! Can I call you Grams? Sheila? That sounds weird. Can you just adopt me so I can call you Grams on the up-and-up? My grandma disowned me when I came out, which I didn't really mind because all I remember from visiting her was old people smell and butterscotch candies. Which I hate to this day, fyi. Oh, and move your camera, we can only see the top third of your head."

There's a shuffling noise and wheezing laughter as Grams' face comes into view, head shaking side-to-side in amusement. "Boy, you can call me Grams any time you like. But I know a distraction when I hear it. Now what's wrong?" Even through the computer screen Sheila Bennett's eyes seem to pierce and Bonnie leans down, combing her hair back with both hands.

"Caroline had to use the cure on me. You know, the one we came here to Delhi to help her find. The one we've fought demons for. The one she was going to use to cure her mom's cancer," Bonnie finishes with a mumble.

"So you're feeling guilty and moping around. I see. That doesn't sound like my granddaughter."

"What am I supposed to do? They didn't give me a choice!" Bonnie throws her hands up, frustrated.

"Oh so that's what you're focusing on. Girl, your guilt is clouding your brain. Let me see the cure." Grams lifts her chin at the screen, every inch a demanding queen. Josh is all flailing limbs for a moment before he shoots off the chaise, cartoon style, reappearing with the stone heart moments later.

"It's still warm," he comments as he sets it in Bonnie's lap.

"What's that glow?" Grams asks, squinting.

"What glow?" Bonnie and Josh ask as one, looking confusedly at the dull grey stone.

"I can see it plain as day, a dull pink light shining up. Josh, honey how do you do the screenwhatsit on this thing so I can show you?"

"Screenshot? OK, you see that button that looks like four loops? Should say command below it. Press that, and the shift key, and the number 4."

"Lord, child, slow down." They can see Grams looking down at the keyboard, a hand comes into view scanning across the keys. "Oh there, I see it."

A few minutes later Bonnie and Josh are staring, brows raised, back and forth between the screenshot Grams sent and the seemingly inert stone heart.

"Do you think it...just needs recharging? Like some weird heart battery?" Josh asks.

"That thing looks ancient, sounds it too from what you've told me. There's no way we can really judge, but if it were up to me I'd say it's still got some juice left in it." Grams looks up at Bonnie and pokes at the screen. "You never give up that easily, girl. Let this be a lesson learned."

Bonnie nods her head with a rueful smile. "Right as always, Grams. Thanks for pulling my head out of my ass." At Grams sharp look, Bonnie claps a hand over her mouth, mouthing a 'sorry!' behind it.

* * *

Klaus lurches as Caroline tugs at his hand, her grin impish and eyes dancing above the sadness for the moment. He holds her back for a moment with an outstretched arm, drinking her in with a singular intensity; eyes tracking her movements and noting the brief falter as their gazes catch. He likes these moments, when she reveals herself and something in her admits the pull they have towards each other. He thinks of the text he sent to Richa, questions he's asked Kol to research yesterday, about the boundary between worlds and if it can be kept open.

He'll pay dearly for asking, but the idea of letting her go at this point is simply unacceptable.

"Come _onnnnnnn_ ," we're going to miss it!"

Klaus pulls out of his reverie and follows along, relishing the feel of Caroline's warm hand in his.

They snake through the Delhi traffic, flashing past the BMWs of the Punjab traders and the billowing diesel smoke buses. The more expensive cars muscle their way through the traffic, lower-end models ceding defeat and pulling out of the way, a vehicular caste system.

Finally reaching the open space of the Jantar Mantar, Klaus scans the familiar architecture and draws breath to break the silence. Caroline lays a finger against his lips, shushing him.

"I'm sure you ate whoever built this and you wanna tell me all about it, but not now."

Klaus' eyes darken at her touch, and Caroline looks away nervously, trying to withdraw her hand. Klaus grasps her wrist and drags her index finger down over his lower lip, cants his neck to bring his mouth up to the back of her hand where he lets a whisper of a kiss linger. His eyes track her throughout, watching her swallow nervously with a satisfaction he can barely contain. Caroline is stubborn - he knows acknowledging her reaction to him in the moment will just make her dig in her heels more.

For now, he's fine with making sure there are _lots_ of those moments for her to pretend to ignore.

"Come on then love, I thought we were in a rush?" He can't resist teasing. He has forgotten, maybe never even really known, how much _fun_ it is. He feels like...well there's no way he remembers what it was like to be human, but he feels like what those drunken sods at Rousseau's look like, all flirting glances and hopeful eyes.

Caroline glares in response before turning away, clearly done with his teasing. She immediately begins bobbing up and down on her toes and races ahead a second later, an excited "oh my god, look!" filtering back to where he stands, an almost fond grin left in the wake of the whirlwind force that is Caroline Forbes.

Jantar Mantar's most evocative building rises up before them, the lavishness of the Misra Yantra's curves a backdrop to a group of musicians dressed in traditional garb. They pull their instruments close, nestled on either side of two stone archways that lead deeper into the structure, the sound of plucked strings tuning filling the air.

"It's some sort of Hindustani classical/modern fusion." Caroline says, reading from the ticket stubs.

She stands with Klaus on a swath of cracked pavement as a metallic droning noise begins to spiral up into the air, joined after a moment or two by a rhythmic tapping. Dancers emerge from the archways, their motions deliberate. Feet strike heel first, then toes down slap-slap, the arm extends an offering slow and smooth, the knee bends deep, the bells at the dancer's ankles sing.

Klaus watches her face and lets his smile curve with hers. Her face brightens as a violin sings above the drone and the dancers bloom across the pavement in front of the musicians, limbs reaching out, spreading in synchronicity. He sees the dance in his periphery, he sees it reflected in her eyes illuminated by the flickering torches set up around the perimeter.

Caroline turns to look at him, studying his face with a serious expression. "Why aren't you watching the dancers?" Her head swivels back to the performers. "They're amazing. So beautiful," she finishes with one quick glance back at him.

"Did you forget how much of an 'old man' I am?" Klaus teases lowly, eyes still on her face. "I've seen dance throughout the ages. You, however, are something altogether new." Caroline swallows awkwardly and her eyes dart about, still focused on the dancers. He watches her a moment more, but can tell he's making her nervous. Normally he'd be all for it - after all, it's that same power of control he's normally so fond of - but tonight it ruins the light that shines in her eyes. So he turns toward the performance and clasps his hands behind his back, smile playing at his lips.

A few minutes later, he feels her turn to study his own profile for a moment, and he lets a smile cut a satisfied dimple in his cheek, hears her scoff with irritation. The music wraps around him, the sitar singing its lament so foreign to Western ears. The torchlight flare creates hulking shadows of the dancers, and their silhouettes stretch up the walls of the Misra Yantra behind them, as if the gods the dancers portray have been summoned to act as their shadows.

There's definitely magic in the air enough for it, which is why Klaus truthfully isn't surprised at the low chanting he hears undercutting the music. He grabs Caroline by the arm, pulling her away from the crowd to her shocked complaint.

"There are witches here. Three guesses who they might be casting on?"

"But our cloaking charms-"

"- are not a failsafe. Magic can always beat magic. Come with me, let's see who dares to try to ambush the Original hybrid." Caroline barely has time to roll her eyes at this before they're speeding back behind the musicians. She hears the witches now, the melodic rise and fall of Hindi, the sound coming from a circular building that looks like pictures she's seen of Rome's Coliseum, arches circling the structure from top to bottom. Klaus pulls her in close to whisper fiercely at her ear. "There are six witches, just as many vamps mixed with wolves. Bodyguards. Follow my lead." He lets her go and she nods, shivering at the loss of warmth, an unbidden thought popping into her head before the urgency of the situation kicks it out.

She waits a moment, gaze searching the building for a signal from Klaus - she's not quite sure what to expect - then races forward as she hears the cadence falter with a wet, gurgling sound, the slow slide of _something_ down the stone. She arrows into the building through one of the open slats, almost losing her balance when she sees the floor is not fully solid. It radiates with gaps like spokes from a large central column where the witches continue to chant, one space empty and one with a witch draped over a gap in the floor, legs disappearing below.

Caroline raises her head, gaze wild, blue-black spreading veins lending her eyes a sunken-in look. Her chest heaves with irrelevant breath, too close to her humanity still to lose the instinct spurring lungs to breathe deep, and she knifes a hand behind her, catching a vampire in the windpipe. He chokes out a scream and she takes him to the floor, her feet straddling one of the gaps. She punches downwards and the vampire catches it in a fist and twists, breaking her wrist. Caroline snarls and spins to her left, both feet on one of the slats. She bites back a snarl of pain as she twists her hand out her attacker's grip and slices downward with her left hand, cutting into the vamp's chest and tugging at the heart.

She looks up, eyes greeting chaos. Most of the witches are down, their chanting forever silenced. She sees Klaus snapping the neck of a werewolf who had sought to flank him. Her eyes are scanning the room for the remainder of the supernaturals when she feels a hand clamp on her upper arm, roughly spinning her. It's a wolf, if the growl deep in the chest is anything to go by. Caroline flinches back, her wrist still stinging from the earlier break, and she trips on one of the gaps, crying out at the pain as she falls through the floor and her damaged wrist dangles helplessly in the werewolf's grasp. He pulls her up with a grin and an extra twist, and pulls her close in a mockery of a dance. She sees the fangs descend just as a witch screams "No! She is not to be har-" The voice cuts off mid-sentence, Klaus ruthless in his killing efficiency.

Caroline can feel the werewolf pause and it's all she needs, catching her balance and bringing a swift knee up into his groin; stamping on his instep for good measure. He groans and lets her go and she punches upwards, hearing his neck snap from the blow with a sickening finality.

She feels surprisingly fine - there's no uncontrollably spinning moral compass this time, just a sense of solemnity for the loss of life. She cocks her head to the side, considering.

Self-defense is self-defense, and Caroline realizes that somehow over time she has actually become someone that truly values her own non-life. She wonders if this is the first step, if this is what leads to that desensitization to life she talked about with Bonnie and Josh, then shakes her head to clear her thoughts. The least she could do was not be self-absorbed when honoring the dead.

Wiping her fingers clean of blood, she bends down to gently lower the wolf's eyelids.

* * *

 **Idk if they actually have concerts at Jantar Mantar, but they totally should. It's a super cool looking series of buildings originally built to perform astrological calculations in 1724. Totally on the list if I ever get to India. I def recommend googling to look at pics. The heart-shaped building is the one the musicians played in front of, with the dancers coming through the arches.  
**

 **ALSO DID YOU SEE THE COVER?! HUGE thanks to mrsagentcooper for being her awesome self.  
**


	13. Chapter 13

**Rash of updates courtesy of me asking for drabble prompts and my brain liking to have me stress out about something, so deciding that instead, I'll get inspired for this fic.**

 **Urdu Poem is _Do not Ask,_ by Faiz Ahmed Faiz. It's TOTALLY not a light and frothy love poem, but I thought that Klaus would see the different application of words and use it to his benefit. Because he's Klaus.  
**

 **Thanks for reading and enjoying! Let me know what you think if you have a moment.**

* * *

After leaving Jantar Mantar, Klaus has them winnowing their way through the city in the most convoluted fashion, trying to shake any possible tails. While Caroline's love of spy films has her appreciative, exhaustion drags at her steps as they circle through Sadar Bazaar for what seems like the gajillionth time.

"Klaus, I think we're sa-"

"There you are!" Klaus interrupts with a jovial tone, walking up to a pani puri cart. "Ah, yes, I thought you might be responsible for the witch welcoming committee we just dispatched. Figured I'd just stop by to see how you were. You know, I hear intestine tastes great with just a _touch_ of cumin."

Caroline's eyes widen progressively larger as Klaus speaks. The pani puri vendor is that sketchy guy - Sanjay she thinks his name is - that had known who Caroline was when her and Klaus stopped by for golgoppas. He sits now on a small stool behind his cart, tears rolling down his face, and she watches as he reaches down and tugs up, his intestines roping in his hands and _what the fuck._

She whirls violently away, finding the nearest wall and retching. He was - oh god - and why does Klaus sound so smug? She wipes her mouth, pulls a bottle of water out of her bag to rinse, mind racing. Her phone buzzes in her pocket, insistent, and she swipes her pattern in; there are a bunch of missed texts from Josh and Bonnie, the most recent one prominently displayed on her notifications.

 **FFS CARE LOOK AT YOUR PHONE**

"Ok geez," Caroline mumbles, pulling up the recent twelve - _twelve! -_ missed texts. She reads them and her jaw drops and she lets out the smallest noise.

"Mom?"

* * *

The next morning dawns and Caroline's _just_ managed to get her tears under control. She's sitting in the study just off the kitchen with Josh and Bonnie, Bonnie having recently found that the leather armchair in the corner is the most comfortable thing ever, as long as you throw a blanket over it first.

The cure sits between them on an ottoman, and Caroline spins her chair in circles, just able to make out the faint thwack-thud of the feeble heartbeat that signifies her mother's chance at life. It almost sends Caroline into another relieved crying fit; she seriously can't believe the rollercoaster of the past few days.

"Klaus compelled a guy to eat his own intestines," Caroline says brightly, setting a foot down to stop the spin and changing the subject to avoid another round of tears. Bonnie grimaces and takes a sip from her mug, and a small smile plays at Josh's lips.

"Your fave is totally problematic," he says, deadpan, and Bonnie almost spits out her tea, clapping a hand over her mouth. "How was the date by the way?"

Caroline spins her chair to level a direct glare at him. "It was NOT a date. But oh my god, he's like _textbook_ problematic fave. Holy crap. I know it doesn't mean anything, since I'm going home in -" she taps at her phone, "wow six hours, I need to go see Abhi soon. Anyways, I just...why does it have to be Klaus that treats me like how I always," she falters for a second, continues, "how I'm supposed to be treated, you know?"

Bonnie's brows flicker up and down as she gives a half-smile. "I'll be honest, this is new territory, I've never seen Klaus like how he is with you." She pauses, cocking her head at Caroline. "No one, girl or guy, has gotten under his skin like you have. I'm surprised he's letting you go without a fight."

"Seriously? He doesn't have a choice. As much as I love this world, and you guys and Abhi, and hell, even Klaus and Rebekah, it's my mom I came here for in the first place."

Bonnie and Josh eye each other, sharing a silent thought, and Caroline sighs. "You guys don't think he'd -"she trails off and Bonnie shrugs.

"I mean, I… He's possessive, for sure, so I know he doesn't _want_ you to go. I don't really know, Care, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it, yeah?" Bonnie stands and rubs her hands together. "I'm getting you home. I promise. Now, I _really_ need to stock up on supplies. You heading to Abhi's?"

* * *

"I can't believe this is almost over," Caroline says as soon as she enters Abhi's house..

He looks up from his reading and slides his glasses back up to rest on the bridge of his nose. "Caroline. I was hoping you would come visit before you left. Here," He stands, bending over the desk he's working at, pulling out a thick envelope. "I wrote you a letter."

"Like I'd leave without seeing you, have you gone insane?" Caroline shakes her head in disbelief. "Funny though, I made you a video and timed it to send from Bonnie's email after I leave."

"Ah look at the two of us, defining the generation gap so readily," Abhi's voice holds a laugh in it. "I look forward to seeing it, Caroline. It will be good to treasure your voice."

Caroline motions her head at the doorway, turns to walk through it. "Come on, it's my last time here, I need to say my mournful goodbyes to your awesome courtyard."

"I've been doing some research," Abhi says as he follows her in, placing thick cushions on the wrought-iron chairs. "This whole herald business bothers me."

"Oh! I didn't even tell you what happened last night. Klaus and I were at this concert and - " Caroline falters a moment at the curious flash in Abhi's eyes, "yeah long story. Or rather, just...not now, ok?" Her eyes turn pleading and and Abhi flips his palm up and forward, motioning for her to continue.

"Yeah so, we got ambushed. And, I'll be honest with you, I was about to get eaten by a wolf when one of the witches yelled at him to not hurt me. So here's what I don't get. You've got the grey dudes calling me the herald, then you've got people attacking me trying to..subdue me I guess? But why? Do they want the cure back? What do they want me for? How am I a herald to whomever this lady is? Is the lady that...the vampire from my world?"

Caroline's words start jumbling at the edges as her voice tries to keep pace with her thoughts. She seems to realize it and takes a deep breath, worried eyes focusing on Abhi before she speaks of the true heart of the matter. "Am I putting this world in danger by going back home?"

Abhi smiles a one-sided grin. "I don't think you need to worry, Miss Caroline. I've been reaching out to my Aunt's old contacts, and from what I understand, the pishachas are going off of very limited information. I was right, in that they came here to avoid the same fate as their goddess, but the act of coming here cut off all contact between the worlds." He shifts in his seat, looking down with annoyance and resettling the cushion that's slid halfway off the chair.

"Something Lamashtu told them, before they made their grand escape, was to wait for the herald, and that they would recognize her. It's a bit unclear, the pishachas don't actively share their goddess' 'holy' words, but from what I'm gathering; if you are the herald of anything, it is of the ability to cross through the liminal space between worlds."

Caroline studies the planes of his face, her eyes still troubled. "But what if I did something wrong by coming here? What if they can figure out how I crossed worlds and use it to bring her back?"

"Would you do it again, if you knew that it could endanger others?"

Caroline sighs and her voice breaks a little as she replies. "No, but that doesn't make it better if I'm hurting people now."

"You can't blame yourself for making choices with the best information you have at the time, Caroline. Magic is a curious thing, and I, for one, am more than happy that you arrived in my house with your...cheese arms." Abhi's eyes are shining and he gives a little laugh, ducking his head down. His embarrassment seems to break Caroline's downward spiral, and she sniffles once more before playfully poking Abhi with the heel of her boot.

"Oh Abhi, seriously, what am I going to do without you?"

* * *

She meets Bonnie on the way back, the girl's arms laden with some pungent herbs wrapped in newspaper, and a few jangling plastic bags.

"Ok, so I didn't just need supplies. We're headed back to New Orleans tomorrow, and I wanted to bring back some souvenirs." Bonnie shakes one of the bags with a grin and Caroline smiles, grabbing it and looking inside.

"Ooh I do love those bangles." Caroline looks up excitedly. "I think I'm going to take my mom to visit our world's Delhi when things settle down. Although it's not going to be the same without you guys and Abhi." She pulls a face. "I won't miss Agent Smith or the other grey dudes though."

"You all ready to go tonight?" Bonnie's tone is careful, her eyes sliding sideways to watch Caroline's reaction.

"No, I'm not. I mean yes I am. Yes. Overwhelming yes to see my mom's face, hear her voice." Caroline's words spill out in rapid succession.

"Part of me's worried, since it's been so long, that something might have happened to her, you know? So I'm just super anxious. But the idea of never talking to you guys again?" Caroline's expression turns wistful as she kicks at a piece of loose gravel on the sidewalk. "I'm glad none of you exist in the other world, because it wouldn't be the same, but I mean _why can't you exist in the other world,_ you know? Ugh. I know I make no sense."

"Psshhh you always make sense. It's just an insane kind of sense." Bonnie knocks her shoulder into Caroline's, a teasing grin on her face. With a bump of her hip she opens the gate in front of the Mikaelson's home. "Honestly? I have a feeling I'll see you again. You know I dreamed about you before we ever met, yeah? Magic does some strange things."

Caroline laughs. "That's pretty much what Abhi said earlier." She takes the keys from Bonnie's hip and unlocks the front door, pushing it open a few inches before shouldering the rest of the way in.

Klaus enters from the living room with an expectant look and Bonnie nods at him as she heads up the stairs. "I'll be ready in 30. Meet you guys on the roof."

Caroline shifts awkwardly and sets Bonnie's bags down on a cherrywood console table. She hasn't spoken to Klaus since the market, and she's not quite sure how to open the conversation. _So, you compelled a guy to eat his own entrails to keep me safe? How romantic._

"I wanted to share something with you, if you have the time?" Klaus breaks the silence and Caroline nods tentatively, brow creasing in curiosity. "It's in my room," he says, and Caroline feels an unwelcome twisting in her stomach; follows him up the stairs and past Bonnie's door to which she sends an unseen look of panic.

"Urdu is known as the language of poetry, its forms and structure tailor-made for words of love, of softness, of beauty." Klaus finds the book he was looking for in a stack next to his bed, and Caroline notes the pressed sheets, the crisply folded comforter. If Klaus had slept last night, he had certainly been neat about it. She passes him, leans up against a writing desk inlaid with the same curled gold wire as the coffer that contained the cure. She wonders how old the desk is, realizes her nervous thoughts are spinning on overdrive from standing here so close to him, in his own bedroom. Ugh.. what was she, 15?

He flips a few pages, muttering a pleased "ah!" as he finds the page he's looking for.

"Even translated within the confines of English, the soul of the great poets comes through.

 _'The world knows sorrows beyond love's brief dreams betrayed, and pleasures beyond all sweet, idle ideals of romance.'"_

At the hitch in Caroline's breath, Klaus continues, gently tilting Caroline's chin up with his free hand so that he can look at her eyes.

 _"'The dread dark spell of countless centuries and chance is woven with silk and satin and gold brocade.'_ While the poet did not intend those lines with the meaning I ascribe to them now, that is the beauty of art. It takes on the form, the quality, that the observer sees in it. _I_ see the wisdom learned living that brief hummingbird flutter of human life, I see how we as vampires transcend it." Klaus leans in, inhales her scent, and it is almost his undoing. His voice holds a hint of rawness as he continues.

"And most of all I see you in these words, spread across my bed in a thousand moments of ecstasy, veins spreading across your eyes as you take what you want from my willing throat, spitting fire as my adversaries cower at your vitriol, countless centuries where you choose to be at my side."

Caroline looks up sharply at his words. "What are you saying, Klaus? Are you saying you want me to stay? Here, in this world?"

He squeezes his eyes shut for a moment, opens them to meet her gaze anew. "I know you well enough to know that whatever schemes I've been concocting to keep you here would result in your resentment and hatred. And I would never ask you to make a choice I already know the answer to." He draws close, eyes flitting across her face, an artist memorizing the details of his next work.

"What I am saying is that I will find a way for our paths to cross again." His lips brush her ear as he leans in close. "However long it takes." He tilts his head, as if to kiss her cheek, and seems to reconsider, pulling away sharply and clasping his hands behind his back. His eyes are hard, and Caroline is confused by the abrupt shift until she hears the door creak behind her.

"Um. Sorry if I -" Josh trails off, embarrassed. "Bonnie's ready for the spell now. I'll just go back -" he cuts off again, pointing back the way he came, and takes a dramatic step back through the doorway, letting the door softly shut behind him.

Caroline bursts into giggles, thanking Josh mentally for diffusing the tension. The mercurial age-old vampire before her, however, still has his jaw set and his brows pulled inward, although she does see his eyes brighten with proximity to her smile. She doesn't know what to say, how to respond to such a grandiose statement that he's stated with the finality of something that has already come to pass. It's a heady feeling, to listen to that certainty in his tone, that certainty about her - even if she's not quite sure she's there yet.

It's all a bit overwhelming, isn't it? And here he goes forming another wrinkle in the list of complications by being all grim and petulant after such a sweeping romantic gesture, and honestly? She just wants to go home right now, not deal with emotional whiplash. She wants to go home to see the film of sickness lift from her mother's eyes, to squeeze her warm hand and smell the scent of that Pantene she tried a million times to get her mom to switch from. Silicone really builds up on the hair, ok?

But you can't just walk away from words like that, and she _knows_ he's waiting for a response. So she makes the choice he denied himself moments ago, and steps towards him, raising her hands to his face. His jaw loosens, cradled in her palms, and she sees his eyes widen a fraction just before her lips brush his own.

She pulls away delicately, right as the kiss begins to turn from a confession into something more. Klaus' hand pauses halfway to her curls, but he's been a bastion of restraint today and can't help but finish the movement. He cards a hand through her hair, lifting the strands up and off her face; his lips part as he studies the play of light across her cheekbones. Caroline takes an unthinking step closer, then stops, shaking her head and glaring at Klaus who swallows his words with a great effort and a dimpled smile, following her as she stalks with exaggerated anger out of the room.

* * *

They gather on the roof, the unbinding spell requiring as much open air as possible. Bonnie had literally bound Caroline to this world's version of Delhi, so the entire city stood as the anchor for the spell.

Bonnie's chanting lowly - Hindi from the sound of it - and Caroline smiles, thinking it fitting. She curls her arms about herself, her long dress fluttering in the wind that whips across the rooftop in curling gusts. The candles are guttering, and Bonnie gestures with annoyance at each of them in turn. Caroline can feel the magic prickling the back of her neck as the flames start burning straight and true. Klaus stands across from her, and he is wound so tightly that he seems almost relaxed, if Caroline didn't know better. The predator is in his eyes tonight, and she can see it scrabbling to break free.

Josh stands close to her, warily eyeing the both of them. "I guess this is it. For what it's worth, we're really going to miss you."

Caroline answers with a sad smile. "I'm going to miss you guys too. It felt...you guys are real friends, and you don't meet real friends that often." She gives a short laugh, "or at all, really." She looks up at Bonnie, circles her gaze to Klaus. "I will never be able to thank you enough for what you've done for me, but I'll try, in my thoughts every day." The spell thickens the air and her last words seem to lose themselves in the looming, thundercloud sky above them. She looks down and sees the rooftop through her arm, feels that pull begin, like a hook deep in her belly, and a tiny part of her wants to scream for Bonnie to stop.

Klaus clenches his hands into fists and watches her disappear. He sees the candle flame rise, surrounding those blond curls with flame, he hears the melody of Bonnie's spell, and he watches Caroline disappear. He retreats into his thoughts, what he's retained of a thousand years, and he watches -

 _Limbs slide against one another in whispersoft throes of passion, oh how the porcelain skin parts and the red sea awaits. Peerless eyes the color of a Nordic sky, spun silk in flaxen wheat and crimson sunset and raven black, the sweet ambrosia of a thousand throats. The cool regard of his mother's gaze and the fear that has driven men lesser than him and the relentless dark angel of his own device who whispers sweet words of betrayal and doubt and you'll never be good enough Klaus for you are weak you are weak and power is all that will ever speak its name loudly enough to silence the interminable whispering and you know it, you've felt it, and the slick slide of lifeblood and the hot sting of vervain and tears and oh god you cry out you are so tired of being the strong one to escape the voices why won't they stop?_

\- her disappear.

And despite all of this, this tide of eternity rising and falling in his mind and the inexorable pull of memory, amidst all this distraction, it is all he can do not to reach out and grab at the space she once occupied, as if she is something he can reach through worlds to touch.

But desire does not equal reality, and for a moment, he continues to stare - perhaps he can still see her face and needs just a few seconds more to commit it to memory. The empty air stares back unflinchingly and he glares at Bonnie and Josh for a moment, the angles of his body fraught with tension, before he snarls and speeds away into the cold Delhi night.


	14. Chapter 14

**Holy writer's block batman. It was less of not knowing what to write, but more that I had absolutely no motivation or desire to put it down. Ahhhh mental illness, 3  
**

 **For a quick recap since it's probs needed after two months, at the end of the last chapter Bonnie cast the spell to unlink Caroline from the other world, so she's sent back with the (thankfully) still working cure as Klaus brokenly watches her disappear. Good times.**

 **Also, really late thank you for those that nominated me for the klaroline awards. What an amazing thing to be a new writer and to know that people thought enough of my writing to take the time to nominate. It meant, and still means, a lot. Also a huge thanks for the recent follows and reviews, each one of them makes me smile. That one person who reviewed every chapter made a day at work feel like Christmas lol.  
**

 **Lastly, there's a little two world action here, so just remember that some folks exist in both worlds and wouldn't be aware of the actions of the other.**

* * *

Caroline can't get over the bloom of color in her mother's cheeks, the dewy glow that suffuses her complexion. It's such a drastic change from the pallor and sickness that had graced her mom's face as the illness had progressed. Caroline focuses now on this sign of health with a singular intensity, an anchor in the storm of her conflicted emotions. She _misses them so much,_ but her mom is alive and it means _everything_ and what do you do when your heart is in two places?

"Earth to Caroline," her mom says wryly.

"Oh - sorry. I just…" Caroline gestures wildly and her mom nods her head gently in understanding.

"Who do you miss the most?"

"Bonnie," Caroline says without a pause. She shifts on the sofa, pulling her knees up and wrapping her arms around them. "She's...amazing. And it's weird, I don't know - have you ever had that feeling like you've met someone before? From the first second I saw her in that shop it felt like I'd known her for years."

Liz smiles at her, a toothy smile that Caroline rarely got to see, well, before all this. "Well, I've never felt people déјà vu," Caroline points her finger excitedly, signalling agreement at her mom's turn of phrase, "but that doesn't mean I don't believe in it. It's hard to discount anything at this point when there's vampires and werewolves and demon things that look like Agent Smith running around."

Caroline answers with her own grin. She had spent the first two days home bringing her mom up to speed with the events in the - it was still really weird to say this - alternate universe. The cure had acted like a jolt of caffeine, and they had stayed up a few nights talking and laughing, sharing stories. Tonight they're in the Forbes living room, P.S. I Love You playing in the background and two mugs of hot cocoa steaming on the coffee table; where they'll probably stay, because her mom somehow managed to burn the milk. What she wouldn't give for some of Abhi's chai right now.

Liz's eyes turn soft as she sees her daughter with that far-off stare again. "I'm sorry, Caroline."

"For what?"

"I wish you could have stayed. You came back for me."

"Well yeah, that was the whole point! And I'd do it ag-"

"I know, and I'd do the same for you, but that doesn't mean that losing your friends hurts any less." Liz sighs, throwing a hand up in defeat. "I don't know, I mean there wasn't an entry in the parental handbook on how to coach your daughter through the loss of her friends due to traveling via spell portal to another reality after obtaining a magical cure."

"Well, _clearly_ the handbook needs an update." Caroline elbows her mom in the ribs, her eyes dancing before her face settles into a thought. "Yeah, I do miss them. But not more than I'd ever miss you. You're my mom, you know? And I don't want you to feel bad for me making a choice that _seriously_ was no choice at all. I have friends here, Matt and Elena and Stefan, and I'll make new friends in school, you don't have to worry about me, really."

Her mom's eyes flit back and forth, studying her expression. "You sure? What about Klaus?"

Caroline sighs. "What about him? He's like the poster child for who not to bring home to mom. It'd never work, even if it could."

"Since when has that _ever_ stopped anyone?" Liz stands up before Caroline has a chance to respond, grabbing the cooling mugs and bringing them into the kitchen. Raising her voice above the faucet's hiss, she calls out, "how about we go out and get some hot chocolate that doesn't taste like the bottom of my shoe?"

She can hear the smile in Caroline's voice when she responds, and it's enough for now.

* * *

"Those 'vicious animal attacks' out on the bayou have anything to do with you?" Marcel's voice sails over Klaus' shoulder as he steps into Lafitte's. The bar is almost as old as the city, and Klaus finds comfort in the worn stone and iron that has borne silent witness to his reign of power through the years.

Marcel watches Klaus order a drink with a studied casualness that doesn't fool him for a minute. He tries another tack. "Heard you were in India, sure seems like an odd time and place for a vacation."

"Well," Klaus spins in his stool to face Marcel, adopting the pompous tone he knows drives the younger vampire mad. "New Orleans only seems like the foremost supernatural hotbed until you remember how ancient the world is. I had some demons to visit."

"Ah, I wondered what would get you out of the city so fast. To whom should I address the thank-you note? Or are threats to you so commonplace you've lost track at this point?" Pulling up a stool next to Klaus, Marcel gives a friendly nod to the bartender.

Klaus lets a note of veiled satisfaction enter his tone. "Oh Marcel, if it were a threat I wouldn't have taken so long! Now, while we both know that diplomacy isn't my preferred mode of action, we also both know I'm devilishly charming. And demons make _such_ entertaining allies." Klaus can't help spinning the tale to his advantage, knowing that only a few people, all under his power, hold the real truth.

There's silence for a minute or two as Marcel digests his story, trying to suss out fact from folly. He adds up the wolf attacks, the anger that he senses just beneath his former mentor's skin, the recent loss of four more of his vampire allies. He thinks back to his conversation with Rebekah when she returned, remembers the transparent gleam of hope in her eyes. Beneath her mask of cruelty she wants to believe in one thing with all her heart, of that Marcel is well aware.

"You know," Marcel says idly, as if discussing the weather or that hot blonde bartender at Rousseau's, "if you actually have a heart still, it wouldn't be that bad to see it."

For a moment Klaus questions, wondering if Marcel and Rebekah's past relationship has led to his sister letting something slip about Caroline, and he turns towards the bar to hide his shuttered expression, tracing the sweat of the glass on the scarred wood of the bartop. He'll have a talk with his sister later, but for now he turns back to Marcel, raising his glass in mock salute. "Oh Marcellus, I didn't know you still cared!"

* * *

Caroline slips into the house just past midnight, the scent of fries clinging to her skin from a night at the Grill. She doesn't know how Matt deals with the smell - she'd have to take a million showers if she worked there.

Matt. He was such a good friend, listening to her tale with an incredulous expression through most of it, but all Caroline could do was think that the cut of his jaw wasn't right, the slope of his cheekbone not sharp enough. Part of her wants to go back to a simpler time when she knew nothing of hybrids and pishachas and Klaus Mikaelsons, because it would certainly make settling back into Mystic Falls life a bit easier. Right now the town just feels like a weight around her neck, dragging her down.

It's no surprise then that she finds herself heading for a visit with Myrna the following day. They've already caught up on Skype, but Caroline has a question she hadn't quite worked up the courage to ask until now. Before she loses her nerve, she finds herself welcomed with a bear hug and ushered downstairs to sit at the small card table where all this began months ago, and where all this ends with her nervous question:

"Can I go back?"

A corner of Myrna's thin lips turns up in sympathy. "Oh hon, I don't think so. That spell is the only one I've ever known that even talks about crossing between worlds, and from what you've told me from Abhi's book, it doesn't sound like forces us witches _should_ be messing with." Myrna cuts off Caroline's burgeoning apology with a look. "Not that I regret, for one second, sending you over there, don't even start with me, young lady." Myrna peers at her a moment more. "I'm sorry. I wish I had a different answer for you. Do you want to talk about it? What it was like?"

"I just...I still feel a pull there, like the spell is still active, and I keep waiting to go back and I never will and I just…" Caroline bursts into tears and Myrna's chair screeches as she scoots to Caroline's side, wrapping an arm around her thin shoulders.

"I'll tell you, girl. There's vampires and werewolves and witches and I've even met a fairie or two - which, by the way, TOTAL bitches, stay away if you can - but here's the thing. There is nothing, _nothing_ more magical in this world than the connection you can have with another person. You've had this amazing chance to do just that, and now you have those bonds in your heart to keep, always." Myrna's voice is low and gruff. "And yeah, I'm sure it hurts to not be able to see them again, and it's ok to grieve that loss."

Caroline sniffles into a shoulder that smells like fresh herbs and nods her head in agreement. "It _hurts._ To meet people that get me, to meet someone that - oh god i can't even believe I'm saying this about a murderous psychopath and I really need to have my head examined - but he, I know I - ugh..."

Myrna's laugh holds a sweetly familiar rasp in it and she pulls away from Caroline, shifting her grip to the girl's shoulders. "You don't even have to say it, hon. We don't control who we care about or why, and we never know who's going to be the one to treat us the way we want to be treated."

"Have you ever been in love?" Caroline's eyes turn curious. It takes a raised brow from Myrna to clue her into the implications of her question. "Oh. Oh my god. I...I don't know...I don't think I'm in love with him, but like...I'm beginning to be? I'm so confused, I barely know him," Caroline mutters, shrugging out of Myrna's grip and standing.

"Hey, it's a lot to take in, I get it. But it's ok to let yourself feel it, even if you can't do anything about it. The feeling isn't just going to magically disappear just because you want it to." Myrna bounces her head from side to side for a moment. "Well, maybe. You _are_ pretty stubborn." It gets the desired reaction, Caroline laughing and sitting back down at the table after swatting a hand at Myrna.

"You're right. About all of it." Caroline sighs, the mood quickly turning back to serious. "I guess I was just hoping there was a chance. Because I can't shake the feeling that things aren't _done_ yet."

Myrna's face turns shrewd. "Ok, you said that stuff about the pull before, but I thought it was just wishful thinking. Now I wonder. Tell me everything you're feeling."

Letting out the breath stoppered in her chest, Caroline speaks, telling Myrna about the sensation of crossing between worlds and how it felt, how it sits now like a memory in her gut. Tells her how her dreams have been dark and troubled, how she wakes with images fleeting but the sensation of dread remains. How her skin feels tight and wrong.

Myrna's tapping the arm of her glasses on the table, lost in thought. "I don't know, Caroline. Some of this could be explained away as just you missing the other world, or a residual effect of the spell, but there's something off about it. I trust your instincts." She stands, grabbing her glass and heading back to the small kitchenette behind her. "Do you want some water?"

"Yes please, I'm surprised I haven't gone hoarse from talking so much. Feel like I've told the story a million times," Caroline says, smiling sheepishly.

It doesn't stop there, though, because talking is all she _can_ do, so she keeps letting it spill out long after Myrna hands her a tall glass. Talks about the sound of Klaus saying her name, the feel of his stubble beneath her lips, Bonnie's face as she spoke the final words of the spell, Josh's way of knowing just when to make a joke, Abhi's caterpillar brows. It's all she has of them now, these memories, and paying homage seems a necessity.

It doesn't hurt that Myrna's the perfect listener, asking questions to prompt more stories, her face expressive in reaction. The mid-afternoon sun flares in through the tiny windows that sit just above ground level before Caroline finally takes her leave, filled with that strange comfort that unburdening thoughts to the right person often brings.

* * *

He has forgotten more than most will ever remember. It's part of why he keeps letters from his victims, these reminders of others' humanity that he insists he is above yet yearns for all the same. He is forever taunted by the passion of connection, the loyalty of regard and friendship, the devotion of love. So he breaks these things when he sees them, and revels in the truth of power, for it is the only thing he thinks to understand outside the confused emotions that family engenders.

And for them, his siblings, he always waits, waits to be found out and unmasked as they rise from their coffins and the accusations rest heavy in their eyes. He waits and he watches as forgiveness softens their stares each time and he wonders when his cruel actions will finally spin the wheel to where the bullet rests in the chamber. He pushes away because he only wishes to pull, but that desire is a weakness and a fault deep within him, or so his stepfather taught him long ago.

So it is a hard thing, then, to have the mind wander to her over and over, all the time wondering with incredulity why her face, plain in the face of a thousand years of beauty, is the one he cannot quite forget.

There have certainly been other women who have caught his attention as distractions for the years of boredom, because aside from years of the chase, watching the human struggle is boring, interminably so. The human babe swaddled in blankets, crying his first tears of confused anger grows and lives and dies with a swiftness that seems so _useless_ in the face of the years that crawl by. And Klaus has seen all of human existence, depravity and kindness, unoriginal ideas and feelings called to the highest mountaintop in such short lifespans that forgetting their value seems the only response.

He knows that power is all that remains. And loyalty somewhat, but power is a surety, a point you can control, a weapon to wield against inevitable betrayal, against the sneers of rejection, against the mournful howl of the lone wolf. Power is the only constant. So why is this little blonde distraction proving to be more than just that? Klaus can't quite wrap his mind around it, nor around the idea that all he can think of, all he wants to do, is to see her again.

He picks up the phone and calls Kol. While his brother's knowledge of ancient magic hasn't turned up anything yet, Klaus has an idea.

* * *

Caroline wakes up to a soft knock at her bedroom door.

"Hnngh?"

Her mom enters, concern plastered on her face. "Hey sweetheart. It's almost four in the afternoon. You feeling ok?" She throws a hand up like a stop sign. "Wait, vampire. You don't get sick."

Caroline scrubs at her eyes. "Yeah, no. Not sick. Just not sleeping well at all, dumb nightmares."

Her mom is staring at her with that stupid guilty expression on her face again. "Mom, look, I'm _fine._ I just need time, I promise. It's only been a month."

Liz sits down, scooching her hip next to her daughter's shoulder, and brushes through some sleep-tangled hair. "I have something I want to ask you about." Caroline tilts her head back, looking up to meet Liz's downturned gaze as her mom asks, "what do you think about visiting India, together?"

Her eyes flick downward, unable to meet her mom's stare. "I...why?"

"Because being brought back to life by your mythical creature daughter puts things in perspective. I want to spend time with you, and I think it would help you to make new memories. Plus I'll have a built-in tour guide who already knows the ropes of Delhi."

Caroline pulls herself up, sitting back against the headboard and still not quite meeting her mom's eyes. She's honestly not sure how she feels about going back when she knows it won't be - can't be - the same, but that familiar pull in her stomach tells a different tale. She glances up. "Yeah," she says, determined to smile until she means it, "I think that would be awesome."

* * *

"Can I break her other leg? This is so much fun! We should do family trips more often Nik!" Kol's eyes are aglow with a feverish light.

But Klaus is done with Myrna's stonewalling. "No, Kol, this isn't working." He considers the witch's broad, infuriatingly placid face. "Let's try something else. So, Myrna." He clasps his hands behind his back and begins pacing in front of where Kol stands, holding Myrna's arms back in a painful grip. "Lovely house you have here. _Very_ hard to find. Funny, that. No copy of the deed at City Hall, it's as if this place doesn't exist. Kol, what was the name of that lovely employee in Deeds and Grants?"

"Oh! Alison? She was a delight. City employees always have the _best_ kinks." Kol turns dreamy-eyed for a moment. "Did you know that there's no record on file for you ever paying taxes on this property? Alison was quite surprised. I told her not to worry about it for now, because I was sure we would come to an understanding. We will, won't we?"

There's a brief flicker in Myrna's eyes. "Why not just kill me, or burn the whole place down?" she mutters.

"Oh, but personal ruin is the new black! So much more flattering." Kol draws his lips up centimeters from the side of Myrna's face, a clear provocation. "How long have you had this home, this life? It's time for a change, don't you think?"

Klaus has to give credit where it's due - he can see Myrna's internal struggle, but just barely.

"Hand me the grimoire from the shelf over there." At Klaus' incredulous look, she snaps. "Do you want the spell or not? My leg is broken."

Klaus nods his head and runs a hand along the spines in the bookshelf Myrna pointed out. He feels the frisson of energy jump from one of the tomes, a crisp sting not unlike the shock of static electricity. He pulls this one out, carefully keeping it closed as he passes the book to the witch who's now seated at a small card table. He can see she's disappointed he didn't let the book fall open, but a thousand years of treachery has not made him into a fool.

The tinkling sound of glass breaking has them both look up to a bored-faced Kol, who is using his bat as a broom on the countertop, muttering 'swing and a miss' under his breath. Klaus rolls his eyes and turns his attention back to Myrna, who has flipped a few pages in and is tapping her finger on a page thick with handwritten scrawl.

"This is all I've got for you. The only spell that I can think of that can cross between worlds." She looks up with a pleased smile. "Says here only the purest of intentions can make the spell work, so I suppose you're out of luck on this one. Can't say I'm sorry."

Klaus hasn't told her the whole story, of course, so he just smirks at her condescendingly. "That's fine, Myrna. I'll just need you to remove the protective spell on the grimoire and we'll be on our way. You've been a great help." He almost laughs at her narrow-eyed confusion, but Kol is starting to sing in a loud, off-key voice as he smashes the oven door, and Klaus is developing a headache to rival a witch-caused aneurysm.

"Pat-a-cake _-SMASH-_ , pat-a-cake - _SMASH-_ , baker's _-SMASH-_ man, bake _-SMASH-_ me a-"

"KOL! We're leaving." He eyes Myrna as she mutters and passes her hand over the now-closed grimoire. He reaches down and re-opens it in front of her, smiles when the book doesn't react like anything other than what it is. She's as good as her word, and it's too bad, really. This is a witch he would love on his side, but after years of becoming an expert, he knows when he's burnt a bridge, and this one is smoking in the river as they speak.

* * *

When their plane lands, Delhi is a city still emerging from the brief slumber of winter, the fog holding on stubbornly to the morning streets. Caroline's heart feels light, dragging her shell-shocked mom into the bellowing din of sound and scent. They're staying at an unremarkable guest house near the university, and Caroline realizes exactly who she inherited her planning skills from when her mom pulls out a guidebook and a notebook with a full page of tightly-lettered bullet points.

There's the Lotus temple one day, Gandhi's home the next, Qutab Minar's ancient tower standing watch over the south part of the old city. They pass through the bazaars as Caroline's stomach flips, half expecting to see a familiar face, friend or foe. Her mom squeezes her hand tight when she notices, and mother and daughter slowly map the streets with new memories. Liz buys a pair of bangles that Bonnie had picked out too, and Caroline slips them on with eyes closed and heart strangely full.

Caroline waits until her mom is asleep before slinking out each evening. The nights are hers to let the mask drop, to unconsciously follow footsteps made in another world. Tonight she finds herself standing in front of Abhi's house, occupied in this world by a family of four - she hears the mother's musical voice lilt from the courtyard, the father's grumbling questions and the two boys' high-pitched responses. It's what Abhi's life could have been, and her heart constricts with the pain of it. Last night she had met the wide-eyed gaze of a teenage girl through the window of the Mikaelson's home, and it is these juxtapositions she seeks out every night, trying to create these new memories while still keeping the old.

Her mom always feigns sleep when she returns, giving her the space she needs. She's grateful for it, and she thinks her mom was right to bring her here. Tomorrow night, maybe she'll visit the baoli.

* * *

Of all the Mikaelsons, Kol is the one Josh trusts the least. There's a cold glitter in his eyes that undercuts all the playful humor, as if his behavior is merely a mask for something harder that lies just beneath. Josh has no desire to witness whatever that is, but he's unsure if Bonnie agrees with him.

"Kol, if you don't stop that right now, I will twist your nuts with my mind. No joke." Bonnie makes a shooing motion behind her, where Kol is poised reading Urdu over her shoulder in an irritatingly hilarious Cajun accent.

"Ahh you always have the best pick-up lines, darling." Kol dances away, just in case. He sits and settles back into the cushions resting atop a wrought-iron chair, blowing an errant hair off his forehead with a bored exhale. "So is anyone going to tell me why my brother seems to have swapped personalities with a stranger? Is it really over a girl?"

Bonnie mumbles a noncommittal response to Kol, free now to dive back into her translation. The copy Josh made of Abhi's book, combined with the grimoire Kol handed over earlier have her distracted. Klaus isn't the only one to miss Caroline, and if there's a way to make the universes cross again without disturbing the balance, well, then she's going to help make it happen.

It's late evening and the New Orleans air is thick with the promise of spring. Bonnie has chosen an outdoor bar of all places to read a grimoire, but if there's a place to openly study witchcraft, it's definitely New Orleans. The thick leather tome barely draws a glance from the pack of Tulane students sitting next to them - they're too busy downing bottles of wine as a blues trio plays their pain into the night air.

Kol has surprisingly quieted, head bent over the the copy of Abhi's book Bonnie slid across the table, and Josh is just on the edge of fidgeting when Bonnie looks up from her study, heaviness in her eyes. She blows out a sigh before offering a sad grin that Josh reads the meaning of in an instant.

Because he misses Caroline too.

* * *

They peer in through red sandstone arches weathered by the passing of the years. The marble, lovingly carved in ornate screens, is merely polished by time's march, and Caroline wonders if she'll ever be able to be able to wrap her head around a century, or a millenium, or more. She follows her mom into the central chamber, where a long, rectangular slab of marble sits in the center of the room, drawing both their eyes.

"Is that -"

Her mom shakes her head no, glancing down at her guidebook which is beginning to look a little worse for wear. "It says this is a cenotaph, and Humayun's actually buried directly beneath." She looks up and spins around, taking in the room. The decoration is all marble and sandstone carving, and the sparse beauty only adds to the solemn air of the tomb's interior.

It's enough to make someone catch their breath. And so they do, listening as the air whistles in through the patterns in the carved screens. They stand in silent accord, letting this moment settle into their bones, breathing air with the weight of the ages.

Liz breaks the silence with a sigh. "God I - I thought a small town life was enough for me, Caroline. But almost dying, then this trip so far, seeing things like this, I don't know if it is anymore. There's so much I haven't seen." She looks down at Caroline, and her face is so soft Caroline's heart almost aches with it. "You know how you always hear people say they have a new lease on life? I get it now, and I just don't want to take the world-" she nods down at Caroline, "-or you, for granted anymore." She lets out a self-effacing laugh and it echoes absurdly in the solemn chamber. An Indian man scurries through the room, sending an affronted glance back at Liz, and she clamps her mouth shut, huffs bursting through the seam of her lips as Caroline struggles not to laugh herself.

She circles her arm through the crook of her mom's elbow and nudges her with a hip.

"Sooooooo, where to next then, mom? Rome? Paris? Tokyo?"

Her mom raises a wry brow in answer. "Well, not on a cop's salary, that's for sure."

* * *

It's midnight, and Caroline pauses at the threshold to the guest house. She feels that incessant throbbing in her gut, pulling her back to the step well, and knows it's time to put this to rest. She's 99% positive it's all in her head, some sort of psychosomatic clarion call of hope that she just needs to face head on. While she doesn't want to forget the other world, it's not healthy for her to dwell, and it's not really fair to her mom, or Matt, or even Elena if her heart isn't entirely...here. _It's time to lay this hope to rest,_ she repeats in her head, but still she writes a quick note and places it on the hallway table before shutting the door firmly, palming the smooth painted wood.

She's almost nervous as she approaches Agrasen ki Baoli, stopping short at the tall fence that surrounds the enclosure. There's a sign in both Hindi and English - 'CLOSED FOR RESTORATION - DO NOT ENTER.' which Caroline promptly ignores, vaulting the fence with a leap. Weeds have taken over the edges of the step well, and a tall plant with broad leaves bent over with their own weight obscures the top of the stairs. The scene looks completely different from what she remembers until she takes the first step down into the well and she sees the flames spread in her mind's eye, hears the harsh, guttural voices of the pishachas. She shrinks back against the wall, willing her heart to stop racing.

 _This isn't that world. There are no pishachas here. I'm laying things to rest._ She repeats the thoughts until they become a mantra, her lips moving as she says them under her breath, pushing off the wall and taking a step down.

The B positive she drank earlier thrums in her veins as she descends, her stomach twisting as if the other world is an eyeblink away. She's beginning to doubt her theory and almost turns back, but stubborn determination pushes her on. _This isn't that world. There are no pishachas here. I'm laying things to rest._

The archway through which she found the cure looms closer, a gaping dark hole that even her vampire eyesight can't illuminate. Darkness is darkness, and so she pulls out her phone, flicking on the flashlight app and raising it above her head so it shines down. The second, internal archway appears to be solid stone where the other world's had been crumbling masonry. Caroline feels around, searching for seams, because the pull in her gut is unsurprisingly centered beyond this doorway. Her fingers scrabble over the rough surface, settling in a set of well-worn grooves that feel like fingerprints. The door clicks incongruously, and the stone slides with a shudder into a recessed pocket carved from the stone of the wall.

Instead of a room with a low slab of rock, Caroline is met with a long hallway that channels a hundred meters or so into the rock before hooking left. A tile mosaic glitters in the light of her phone, an intricate mural that spans both sides of the hallway and arches over her head. She recognizes the red of eyes of pishachas in their natural form, sees a pile of what looks like human heads before she stops looking, shaking her head in revulsion.

Her steps are cautious, her feet quiet on the slick, marble-laid floors as she turns the corner. There's a dim, flickering light a few hundred meters ahead, and she turns off her app, letting her eyes adjust to the change in light before moving again. There's a repetitive sound coming from just beyond the light, like metal scraping on stone, but it's unfamiliar enough that she can't quite pick it out.

Shapes emerge as she draws closer to the light - torches, she sees now, the orange light illuminating where the hall enlarges to a circular room, vaulted ceiling tall and stretching surprisingly far up for a structure this close to ground level. There's a huge column in the center of the room, and she sees a shape moving from side to side in front of it, in time with the sound she's been hearing. Emboldened, Caroline pushes ahead, and the shape comes into view at the same time as its oily voice cuts through the air:

"Thousands of years and no one has done what you have, crossed between the worlds." The woman - if she can be called that - says. Her form resembles a pin-up girl, buxom and wasp-waisted, but her movements are stilted and wrong in an uncanny valley sort of way, and the veins spread below Caroline's eyes in reaction to the threat.

"Who are you?" Caroline hisses.

The woman reaches towards Caroline, chains clinking as they trail down from the manacles on her wrist.

"I'm quite sure you know, dearest Caroline."

There's a damp patch of blood at the corner of the woman's mouth and Caroline wonders where it came from before snapping back to the present, her voice shaking in response. "Lamashtu?"

The mother of vampires gives a pleased nod before her face twists. "Let me share what it's been like for millenia, down here, alone aside from those that feed, their worship allowing no more and no less." Lamashtu's smile sends chills down Caroline's spine and she battles against instinct to hold her ground.

Lamashtu slinks in circles around the pillar, trailing chain narrowing the circumference until she can move no further, unraveling again as she retraces her steps. The floor is worn beneath her feet, the pacing of a monster chained eroding the limestone so deeply Caroline can see the tracks.

Caroline waits silently, internally cursing the thousands of inane quips her brain _swears_ would be _perfect_ to blurt out right now.

"So the theatrics are A+creepy and all, but why exactly am I here?"

Shit.

Hair strands stiff with dried blood clack against each other in a rattlesnake's warning as Lamashtu lunges. Her chains pull taut with a ringing clang inches away from Caroline, close enough for Lamashtu's knuckles to brush against Caroline's cheek.

 _(Time. Interminable waiting and waiting and waiting. The scent of spice brought in on the collar of a village girl, the edges of the priest's robe damp with the morning's dew, you taste these freedoms on your tongue and spit them out as poor substitutes for the real thing. The passage of time festers resentment and rage and hate, and tick tick tick there are no clocks but the death rattle lungs of the leagues you will tear asunder when you gain your freedom and lick your lips it will taste so so sweet)_

Caroline staggers back, heaving choking breaths. She feels the madness clinging to her skin and furiously tries to brush it away as Lamashtu's bark of laughter echoes in the chamber.

"I told you I wanted to share. So now you see. You see why i have no choice. Freedom has been taken from me for too long, and you are the one to relieve me of my prison." Lamashtu says in a matter-of-fact tone, as if her logic is inescapable and Caroline has no choice but to agree. As if.

"Um. _So_ gonna go with no on that one."

"Ahhh but you have already freed me, Caroline. Did you know the weak spots in the universe are still drawn to you?" Lamashtu's fanged smile grows impossibly wide as she continues. "You, my _dearest_ , are the first one in several millennia to be able to cross between worlds, and the universe remains tied to your power." Lamashtu cocks her head sharply, the movement so birdlike it's almost comical, and begins running a taloned hand through the air, fingers crooked in a parody of a priest's blessing. The air shudders and splits in the wake of her claws with a faint ripping sound, as if reality is mere fabric torn asunder. Caroline watches as the the demoness grabs at seemingly nothing and _pulls,_ and she sees a room beyond. Her heart surges in her chest as she realizes she's looking at the other universe, the one with Bonnie, with Abhi, with _him._

Without turning her head, Lamashtu beckons at Caroline, motioning her closer and murmuring in a voice that coats Caroline's skin like a thick film. "Come along now. You'll do well as my herald. Do tell them that it will be bloody, won't you?" Lamashtu steps almost delicately into the rift and Caroline watches the edges of the portal shudder, growing smaller. A length of chain clatters to the ground, severed from their manacled confines by the portal's crossing.

There's no time for hesitation, and Caroline knows it's up to her to warn them all.

"I'll come back for you, I promise." Caroline brokenly whispers a pledge to her mom before vamping through the rift just before it closes.


	15. Chapter 15

**Hi.**

* * *

 _Amazing grace, how sweet the sound_

The voice fills the empty streets. A few blocks from the revelry of the Quarter, time takes on a more staid approach, and natives of the city lie sleeping, serenaded by the far-off sound of jazz and blues that serve as the faintest backdrop for this singular voice.

 _that saved a wretch like me!_

It soars over tangled bedsheets, a deep basso with a hint of rasp, a voice bigger than even the confines of the city, it seems to Klaus. He crouches on a set of low steps that lead to a screened-in porch, palms together and fingertips grazing the weathered wood, and lets the voice wash over him.

 _I once was lost_

This isn't the first time Klaus has heard the singer - he's actually thought of turning him before, but there's a madness that glints in the man's deep-set eyes that makes Klaus think better of it. So instead he keeps it safe, this incomparable, heart-achingly beautiful, transcendent voice. He kills those who dare to silence the beauty, and vamps have learned to give this meal a wide berth.

 _but now am found_

The song is an old Christian hymn penned by an Englishman, and is Klaus' favorite in the singer's repertoire. Something about the singular devotion and loyalty that humanity gives to a power that they cannot see nor touch nor speak to fascinates him. But tonight, in this singer's voice he hears the sweet grace of faith in every syllable, he hears it and it reminds him - of faith and loyalty and the look in her eyes as she disappeared. He stands abruptly, as if to escape his thoughts, and walks slowly towards the voice.

 _was blind, but now -_

* * *

Her first clue that something is wrong is the water filling her lungs as she takes a breath. With a panic borne from a summer long past, Caroline flails in the water, disoriented, until she spots a familiar archway that shyly reveals itself in the light that slants in, a golden unveiling. _OK,_ she thinks, _right place, wrong universe._ Pulling her bag close to her chest, her heart aching for Abhi's letter that lies inside, she surges toward the light and climbs the steps she's only ever seen dry, water sluicing off as she surfaces. There's more clues here - a thick wall of some plastic-y looking material rises where a fence should stand - and while there is noise, it's a constant whirring drone that sounds nothing like the chaos of Delhi traffic she's used to.

There's no one inside the confines of this well's odd plastic walls. Caroline take a moment to untangle her bag from her shoulder and dumps out the contents, tearing at the seal on the envelope from Abhi and pulling out sheets dampened by her unexpected plunge. She pulls them apart, spreading them on the stone that crowns the step well, the water still lapping against the top stair as it calms to stillness. The bubble-wrap lining of the envelope has done a surprisingly good job of keeping the paper dry, and there's minimal smearing of ink across Abhi's incongruously girlish handwriting. Caroline shifts from her crouch to sit, staring at the looping words across the top of the page.

 _Caroline -_

 _I've been thinking of our conversation about good and evil and choices and their effects on others, and I thought of an Indian proverb: 'The good exercise compassion by making the case of others their own.' And i think to myself - is this too simple? Or is it that I simply do not understand the depths of motives? Because I think on that line and I examine recent events and I think to myself -_

 _You, Caroline are good, just as Bonnie is, just as I am, and just...as Klaus is, if only for you._

Caroline stares at the words and the meaning inherent in them, the forgiveness that Abhi embodies, the read-between-the-lines urging. She thinks if Abhi was here right now he'd nod sagely and look away, embarrassed, and she smiles at the thought before her mind screeches to a halt at the next words.

 _But Caroline, I am afraid. It was not something I could articulate until I set pen to paper - my wife oft complained I could only talk about difficult things by scrawling them across a page, and while I've worked on it considerably over the years, there's still a part of me that lets the words dry in my throat. So I write, and I say that I am afraid. I fear the prophecy, I fear that there is more to this than we know, that Lamashtu may -_

Shit. Lamashtu. In her underwater panic Caroline's somehow managed to ignore reality. There's a demon here, and even if this isn't her universe, or...her other universe...Caroline can't let a psychotic vampire demon bird thing loose. But where is she? Did she come to the same place? Did she leave the step well already? Caroline folds Abhi's damp letter and slides it back in the padded envelope, her fingertips grazing something stuffed in the bottom. She'll have to look and see what present Abhi gave her later, time is ticking and who knows how long whatever magic Lamashtu saw in her would remain active.

The last thing she wants is to be stuck in this weird place with an insane original vampire.

* * *

"Why is it taking so long to find her?" Rebekah breezes into the bar, curling a finger at the server in an imperious request before sliding smoothly into the seat across from Bonnie. She spins the book Bonnie's been studying around, lifting a brow at the Urdu and tapping a finger on a crude drawing of a woman with snakes for hair. "Ah, Medusa. It's a shame we never met."

"Medusa was real?" Bonnie can't help but reply and catches herself at Rebecca's shrug, deliberately spinning the book back towards her before continuing. "I guess at this point all those stories I read as a kid should be considered real," she says wryly. "Anyways, this is about some sort of demon vampire queen, not Medusa. She's tied to the pishachas in some way, but there's so little information on her that it's been a struggle. Some books have her as a woman with a bird's head, some are like th-"

"What do the pishachas have to do with anything? Have you seen my brother? He's losing both his grip and the city, and I'm tired of coddling him."

Bonnie considers Rebekah for a moment. She's spent enough time with the Original to know not to take her words at face value and to see the concern underneath, so she decides to tell her what she knows. "Because they're tied to this all, along with Caroline. Some sort of prophecy that I'm trying to unravel, to understand what magic can bring Caroline back." She pauses, tapping at the picture of the demon goddess. "Or if I even need to."

"Well then I have no idea why you've asked for Kol's help and not mine. _I_ was always mother's best student." Rebekah spins the book once more towards her and reaches without looking with her other hand, snagging the waitress' wrist with an iron grip. "Grey Goose martini, and if you are slow to respond again I will -" Rebecca turns to give the waitress a sunny smile - "drink you dry instead." The waitress scuttles away, confused and terrified, and Bonnie shakes her head, pulling another Urdu tome from her bag.

* * *

The whirring sound, as it turns out, comes from the cars that hover just over the roads. The city skyline is shockingly clear, the smog that typically obscures Delhi's facade like a sickly veil is gone, and a clear light shines unbroken from the sun, glinting off the windshields with an ocean's sparkle. Even in the depths of her frustration Caroline stops for a moment to marvel, the breadth of the skyline staggering, an almost hilariously ramshackle collection of buildings broken by the graceful minarets and domes of places of worship. She turns to the south, towards the ancient tower that still reaches up to the sky in such unbroken, thousand-year fealty, and she hears it. A wailing cry, almost a lament, and then the rising storm of panicked voices.

She races towards the sound, trying to get her heart under control. She can't fight Lamashtu, but she thinks she knows what the demon wants, and that's to go _home._ There - a red sandstone building, a crowd thundering out like a burst dam. She locks eyes with a young girl's terrified gaze, pushes past a bearded man caught mid-scream, and races inside. It's an auditorium, and on the stage lies a body still pumping blood from the stump of its neck. Caroline's gorge rises just as her monster does, and there - she spots Lamashtu, almost cowering on the stage, the source of the inhuman screech, the sound that has the escaping crowd clutching at their ears as if that noise is somehow worse than what they've just witnessed.

Sensing her, the demon's head jerks up in a bizarrely-avian tilt and focuses on Caroline. "Where are my children?" she asks above the fleeing crowd's roar, and as Caroline crests the stage she sees that Lamashtu is cradling the decapitated head, running her fingers through strands now sodden with blood. Lamashtu's face shifts at Caroline's banked horror and something more calculating locks into place behind her eyes. "How many more will be killed in your name, Caroline? Before I see my children? Why do you keep me from them?" Lamashtu raises the head like a gruesome chalice and tips it back, throat working.

Caroline's hand tightens into a white-knuckled fist. The demon isn't wrong, here are her choices again resulting in the deaths of others and _god she doesn't have time for this, the world doesn't have time for this, she just needs to get a grip -_

She rushes towards Lamashtu and can't help her smile at the demon's surprise, time shifting to slow motion as the head drops and fangs are bared and a clawed hand swipes at her, secures on a shoulder and Lamashtu laughs then, teeth darkened with blood. There's that oily feeling that slinks over her skin and she can feel the sickening creep of unbidden thoughts but she's prepared this time and clamps down on every bit of her control. She turns and cuts her own hand through the air, somewhat surprised that there's not a tearing sound to accompany, because she sees the sparkle of a night sky where the stage curtains should be and she places her hand on Lamashtu's and thinks of Klaus and _pulls._ Halfway through, the demon claws her way out of Caroline's grip and they separate and Caroline wants to _scream_ because she's in a puddle on the edge of an alley, some chick draped in strands of shiny beads is staring at her with confusion, and Lamashtu is nowhere to be seen.

* * *

The demon's ancient eyes give away nothing as they take in the scene before her, here, in this right place at the wrong time because her _children - oh._ Her demons lie ravaged by a brutality that calls to her bones. A grey form hangs limply from the wall, suspended by two shafts of metal tunnelled in place of his eyes into the rockface behind. Another sits, breathing shallow, puffing breaths as his form shifts between shapes, as if caught in transition. It sits up at the sight of her, attempting gurgling speech.

"My….goddess…you...have come."

"Shhh, shhh my dearest," Lamashtu coos, laying a hand gently on the pishacha's shifting forehead. It settles into a shape, a dark-haired female, doe eyes wide and expressive. It struggles to say more and Lamashtu cuts her off with a taloned finger pressed to lips. "You will tell me all I need to know, but not like this." Her voice is hard and brittle, cracking at the edges with an ancient rage unbound.

Lamashtu cocks her head, raptor's eyes meeting her prey, and the pishacha nods once, bowing her head in acquiescence. "Yes, my liege. Always and forever." The creature reaches up with a hand, offering it palm up, and Lamashtu tears into the skin with a hunger unbidden. It is not human flesh, not human blood, but the purpose here is not satiation but _knowledge._ The first sip brings a face to her mind, an attractive male, brow low and strong and mouth stretched wide in a killer's grin. _Intriguing._ She takes another deep pull of the thick demon blood and watches the battle at the step well, watches her demon children fall, witnesses the power that seems to echo off the rooftops of the city when the male roars with double-fanged jaws.

She sees the battle's aftermath, her demons feeding on the police who came unwittingly to their slack-jawed demise, energy drained to heal the deep wounds. Her anger surges to the forefront and she pushes it back, keeping it banked. The utter gall of this upstart creature - for even she does not hold a name for this vampire with wolven jaws - the utter _gall_ of him.

Another sip, another scene. She hears alarmed shouts and watches her children - for even demons have mothers, and they are her creation - fall to the impressive fury of this half-wolf, half-vampire. He is alone this time, and there's something unhinged about him that belies the control she saw earlier. His eyes flash with anger, but now that she's looking Lamashtu sees something else and she files it away; for motivations are a powerful thing, and there's something behind his rage that tells a truer tale than his ire. She watches him question, screaming demands and then turning quiet, impaling one of the demons with a cold, furious power that has her shuddering in arousal.

She wonders if he'll think himself a match for her vengeful fury and cackles a bloody-mouthed laugh, realizing she's beyond eager to find out.

* * *

Caroline's Volant phone is waterlogged and useless, so she takes to the New Orleans streets, because there's no mistaking this place for any other from that first flash of beads. Even amidst her urgency she finds herself caught up in the buoyant revelry of the city, musicians seeming to herald her arrival on every corner, the bright sound of brass echoing in the evening air. She searches, trying to spot a familiar face - she knows it's ridiculous, but she hopes she can at least use her senses to spot a vampire or a witch that could lead her to Klaus or Bonnie, because she's _sure_ of it, this is the right place, the right time. She ducks into a bar, scans the faces inside. A band is onstage, and the singer's bright smile and sheer presence capture her eye.

Vampire.

She locks eyes with him and his own narrow mid-lyric and it's as if his voice turns only to her as the chorus strings out its refrain.

 _So how you like me now?_

 _How you like me now?_

The music rings out its final notes, and while the bar is densely packed, the post-set applause is scattered - it's late in the evening and the dipping of heads indicates quite a few patrons are either too drunk on blood or alcohol to really pay attention. There's enough, though, for Caroline to catch a name whooped in support - Marcel - and she watches as Marcel prowls towards her, passing out high fives and that easy megawatt smile.

"How do you like the city so far?" He slides in next to her, leans his elbows on the round table in front of them, head cocked in solicitous attention.

She can't help but smile back. "How do you know I'm not a local? What gave it away?"

His grin snakes out from the corner of his mouth. "Please. You _have_ to be new in town. I'd notice a girl like you."

She dips her lashes, cheeks coloring. She may not be interested in his advances but she can certainly appreciate charm when she sees it. She wonders what Bonnie thinks of him, and the thought jars her into action. "I'm actually here to visit a friend. You may know her - Bonnie Bennett?"

His eyes narrow and she's glad she didn't say Klaus because there's something predatory that's just crawled into his gaze.

"Klaus' witch? Known her since she was a kid," Marcel says almost distractedly, glancing behind Caroline. " _My_ question is," he says as she feels a hand clamp on each of her arms and god - how could she have been so _stupid_ -"why I've never heard of _you._ "


	16. Chapter 16

Klaus snaps Myrna's grimoire closed, his jaw ticking with frustration. No one has been able to find an answer, not in spells once cast or history long forgotten. Last week he'd even had Bonnie try the locator spell again, but after pushing her a third time, the witch had fallen unconscious and still no blood raced across the map's page, no vision appeared with Caroline's location.

She is gone. Forever, he thinks bitterly before shaking it off. Because that isn't quite true, is it? There is something unfinished that almost hangs in the air in hushed expectation, and it is that feeling which buoys his dogged pursuit.

He drums his fingers on the side table and the ice in his glass clinks as it shifts, the sound distracting enough that his hand now reaches for the copy of Abhi's aunt's timeworn book. He's read the prophecy a thousand times, perhaps more, and he wonders where the missing details are that speak of Caroline and her part to play. The pishachas had been less than forthcoming on his final visit, so all he has are the ancient words. _The eldest queen lies in eternal wait for crimson to free -_ he reads over the last line - blood is the obvious answer, but have the pishachas missed their opportunity now that Caroline is back in her own world? What's the link, they key? What is he _missing?_

Truth be told, Klaus has never been one for prophecy. Power is power, regardless of tiresome portents, and a situation can always be manipulated to advantage. But right now, he's at a dead end, and he _does_ have a city to run, despite what he said to his sister in Delhi. There's a meeting today, one the humans refuse to call an audience but it remains one all the same, and so he will hear their complaints and pass judgment and mercy where he sees fit. _At least he's in control of something_ , he thinks. The bitterness creeps up again and his traitorous heart lurches.

* * *

It's the perfect temperature in New Orleans this time of year - the faint sting of winter's chill is faded but the swamp still stays away, as if in offering. Bonnie's hanging up laundry on the line outside, shimmying to the music pumping out of an ancient boombox that rests on a nearby chair.

"Never took you for an 80s fan," Josh's voice is muffled, and when he rounds the side of the house Bonnie spots the cookie sticking out of his mouth.

"Didn't anyone teach you not to talk with your mouth full? Also...oatmeal raisin?"

"Eww no. Chocolate chip. Grams is seriously the best grandma ever." Josh takes a monstrous bite of another cookie and Bonnie shakes her head, a smile sliding up one side of her face.

"Of course she is. _Anyways_ , what's up?" Bonnie peers closer, notes yesterday's wrinkled shirt, the bedhead curls. "Uh..Josh, did you seriously just do a walk of shame straight to grandma's house? _So_ wrong." She laughs, clips a camisole to the line. "So how's Aiden?"

Josh looks momentarily embarrassed before adopting a goofy grin. "I guess I decided possessiveness _is_ hot." He's settled in a chair now, and glances down at the wrought iron patio table, clearly debating whether or not to set his last cookie down without a plate. Bonnie clears her throat loudly and walks over, palm up to accept his offering. Laundry can wait.

Cookie burden relinquished, Josh leans back in the chair and pulls his phone out, thumbing the lock. His eyes widen at whatever he sees there, and his voice is odd when he speaks.

"Have you heard anything about what Marcel's been up to recently?"

Bonnie narrows her eyes, wondering at the sudden question. "Noooooo. But to be honest, I try to give Marcel a wide berth. That whole attempt to control witches was a douchebag mo-"

Josh interrupts her by shoving his phone in her face, a text from Aiden on the screen.

 _What's up with the new blond vamp Marcel's got on lockdown? Caroline?_

They stare slack-jawed at the phone. A DJ announces the next song, and 80s synth fills the air.

"Wh-what?" Bonnie manages.

Josh shakes his head slowly. "No earthly clue. It can't be her. _It can't.,_ " he says, his brow furrowing in confusion before he looks up sharply. "Can it?"

Bonnie grabs at his phone and hits the call button, a voice picking up after two rings.

"Hey Aiden, this is Bonnie, stealing Josh's phone. We were wondering if you knew anything else about Caroline?" She nods her head, listening. "Really pretty? Young? Definitely a vampire?" Her eyes widen and both her and Josh mouth a silent _oh my god_. "Thanks! Well, I don't want to bother you anymore at work. Yeah, I'll keep him out of trouble," she says and hangs up, laughing at Josh's affronted expression.

"I want to talk more about how clearly into you Aiden is, but that's gonna have to wait because we've got to figure out how to get Caroline away from Marcel. Ugh, why didn't she _call us?_ " Bonnie grouses just as her phone vibrates in her back pocket.

 _Met an old friend of yours, apparently. She's asking about you. Beautiful girl, very mysterious. Dinner's at 6._

"Well I guess that makes it easy."

* * *

"I've let Bonnie know you're here, invited her over." Marcel's tone is almost seductive in its friendly charm, but Caroline is having none of it.

"Thanks! I hope you told her the cells here are quite lavish!" she grumbles, knees drawn beneath her in a chair that sits in this dark, windowless room.

He casually reaches up, clasps the lintel above the door and leans into the room. "Caroline! Come on now! I can't just let you wander around my city, not without finding out why you're here in the first place. You understand, right?"

"Not really. I didn't know you could own a whole city and prevent people from visiting."

Marcel sighs. "OK, let's cut the crap. I'll be honest with you, and I'd appreciate your honesty in return. New Orleans is a crazy place, and I like making sure my friends and I have a safe place in it. Bonnie and Klaus," Caroline wills herself not to react at his name, sees Marcel's eyes narrow as he studies her face, "are back from India with some bs about new demon allies, and then you show up. Pardon me for being suspicious." He drops his arms, eases into the room and pulls a glass from the bar top opposite the couch. "What's your poison?"

"Nothing. Thank you." Her response is instinctive, more to buy time for what to say next than anything else. Marcel shrugs in a 'suit yourself' gesture and hitches himself up on a barstool, one leg propped on a rung.

Caroline decides the truth, at least part of it, is what's owed. "So... the demons are real, but I'm not one of them. And I'm just...no one's expecting me here, I can promise you that," she says, unable to keep the wryness out of her tone.

Marcel stares at her, takes a sip of the cognac he's just poured. "OK, so that's part of the truth. Thank you. But I've got a hell of a lot more questions for you."

"Can I ask one in return?"

Marcel nods, bemused.

"How do you know them? Bonnie and Josh and Klaus, I mean?"

"Well, I said I watched Bonnie grow up, so you've got that piece of the puzzle. Josh, I turned him when him and a friend came down for Mardi Gras. It didn't quite work out. And Klaus?" Marcel shakes his head, a grim almost-smile on his face. "He's... something else. I guess you could say he's my mentor."

Caroline's eyes narrow. "I can't decide if all this," she gestures at herself and the room, "means you're a horrible student or the best."

He lets out a surprised laugh, teeth flashing. "Sounds like you know Klaus pretty well then. Yeah. Our relationship is...complicated." He takes a sip of his drink, eyes glittering over the rim of the glass. "But back to you. I've never heard of you before, and I keep tabs on the people who know Klaus. So what I'm trying to figure out is how a megalomaniac vampire with trust issues becomes buddy-buddy with a baby vamp in a couple months."

Caroline shrugs, offering a smile. "What can I say? Travel brings out the best in everyone."

* * *

"Should we call Klaus?"

"Not unless we have to. He's even more unstable than usual when it comes to Caroline. Let's try to keep the body count to zero for now." Bonnie smooths back her hair, thinking. "I don't see Marcel hurting Caroline, he just clearly knows how to play his hand. Let's go talk to him."

"OK, but I'm leaving a note for Grams," Josh says, and Bonnie nods. She should have thought of it herself, but her mind's spinning because _what how? Caroline?_ _In NOLA?_ and she's so distracted she forgets to punch Josh on the arm when he calls shotgun because stupid joke is stupid when there's two people but _Caroline is here?_

It's only a short drive from Grams' shotgun house in Treme to Bywater, but nothing's really that far away in New Orleans anyways. There's more freestanding houses here, little bungalows and creole cottages with flowers just starting to bloom in between. Bonnie pulls up to the curb of a double-galleried house that's set back from the street, and Josh is up the walk and reaching for the doorbell before the tick of the cooling engine dies.

Bonnie takes her time approaching, and as she reaches the door she grabs the knob, murmuring a few whispered words until the lock clicks, Josh stuttering in distress as he reluctantly follows her in. Marcel's voice calls out casually, as if this is a social gathering instead of a negotiation for her best friend that's somehow managed to come back from her own reality, "We're in the backyard. Grab yourself a drink!"

Bonnie spots Caroline first, running over and enveloping her in a hug. "H-how? Not that I'm complaining." Caroline's eyes widen slightly and slide to the side and Bonnie nods and hugs her again as Josh joins the fray. Later then. She turns to Marcel who's watching them with almost greedy eyes, and it's not a look that she likes on that face with its charmer's smile.

"What do you want, Marcel?"

"Direct as always, Ms. Bennett. What _do_ I want? I want the truth. All of it. About your trip overseas, what new power Klaus has stirred up," he nods at Caroline, "what's the deal with our friend here. She's doesn't talk much."

"I'm not your friend," Caroline spits out at the same time as Josh huffs an amused "you clearly don't know Caroline," and Marcel smiles, unfazed. There's a burst of unrelated laughter from behind, a small group of werewolves circled around a grill that's now billowing smoke. They listen to the hiss of steam as one of the wolves pours his beer on the coals.

"Ahh, but you _could_ be my friend. I'm not so bad a guy, Caroline. Just talk to me."

"You're not going to just keep her here against her will, are you?" Josh asks, nervously jangling the change in his pocket. Marcel's always been one of the...nicer vampires, it's his easy charm that has gained him the support that threatens Klaus' rule, but something's off here, and all of them can sense it.

"Look, I don't think I'm asking for much. Just a little information. And if keeping Caroline here is the leverage I need to get answers then so be it." There's a little less warmth in his voice now, his irritation present.

Bonnie glances at Caroline with a question in her eyes, then turns to Marcel.

"I went to India to help Caroline. Her mom's sick, and she heard of a cure based in Indian witchcraft."

Marcel nods as he processes her words. "But wait, how do you guys know each other in the first place? I thought you met in India."

Caroline's never been more grateful for her and Bonnie's almost voodoo-magic bonding on that Delhi roof than she is now, for the answer comes easily. "Mystic Falls. The Bennett witches have roots there, and we met when she came up with Klaus for the doppleganger."

"So is that why Klaus came to India too? For you?" There's something more weighted in this question than the last.

Her eyes dip down as she responds and she curses her reaction, knowing Marcel is reading into every gesture. "Nah. He was after some demons, like you asked about earlier." Bonnie twitches subtly at this, acknowledging the lie. Josh stares distractedly at the wolves.

"Crescent Clan? Didn't know you guys were fast friends," Josh says. The jingling starts up again and Caroline reaches out to grab his wrist.

Marcel laughs at this, but his ego lets him buy into the distraction. "It's amazing the friends you make when you promise vengeance on the vampire that killed one of their own. And now, more than ever, I can actually _mean_ that," Marcel says with a smile at Caroline. "Come, sit. Take a load off."

Bonnie steals a glance at Caroline and arches a brow, but Caroline just mouths a concerned 'I don't know', her own brows knit in frustration. There's a loud laugh from the wolf pack as someone's story reaches the punch line. No one moves to sit, and the silence that descends is unbroken by sound, just a vibration, the weight of a new presence unfurls over the group and Caroline's face is clearing involuntarily because Klaus is _here._

"So disappointed I wasn't invited to the party, Marcellus."

Bonnie can tell Klaus is pissed, but within that there's a softening of his pokerless face as his gaze settles on Caroline, even as Marcel answers.

"Oh you were going to be, I just wanted a little chance to talk to Bonnie here first. You've been a little unstable recently. Pretty sure we all know why now." Marcel's grin is wide, he's enjoying the taunt. "Found an interesting letter on our girl here," Klaus restrains a possessive flinch, "matches up to what Bekah let slip." Caroline's head snaps up to glare at Marcel. She'd forgotten about Abhi's letter, wonders what else it reveals and how much Marcel has been playing them.

Klaus knows his sister can't be trusted, although he doesn't ignore the 'slip' part of the message. Marcel still cares amidst his gloating to not fully blame Rebekah for her loose lips. He files the information for later and schools his features, because these are the moments that can reveal far too much, he well knows. There's a rush of movement out of the corner of his eye - vampires closing in from behind - and in front, wolves circle Marcel where he stands with one hand gripping Caroline's upper arm. The air is still as the scene seems to hang on the razor's edge of tumult. Marcel decides to let the bomb drop.

"But what's _really_ interesting is what Caroline here had in her bag...and what I now have." His tone is casual as ever as the sunlight glints of the veins of silver that run through the stake he pulls out of his back pocket. Klaus glances at Caroline, sees shock warring with confusion on her face, but a thousand years of treachery twist it into something darker. Betrayal thickens his tongue, and his mind quickly filters through memories with a new sinner's light. His mouth twists in a sneer. He attacks.

"Ah, Caroline. You couldn't do it in the end, could you? Did you find yourself falling for _the monster?_ How utterly cliché," Klaus scoffs, huffs in derision and shakes his head as if scolding a child. "Was my deep, troubled artist stare what turned the tide to let you forgive and - _dare I say it -_ perhaps even fall in love, so that your tortured self could not commit the final act?" Klaus bows mockingly, eyes not leaving her own confused gaze. "Do you think you are the first threat I've seduced? Because make no mistake - you were mine, at the end, and we both knew it." Her eyes drop at this and a fire grows in his chest, searing.

He swings his head to meet Marcel's gaze. "And what of you? Do you think even with the stake you pose a threat?" A breeze fans Bonnie's face and Klaus is nose-to-nose with Marcel, his fingers closing around the wrist of the hand that holds the stake, and the sharp sound of splintering bone has Josh wincing and clutching at his own wrist in sympathy. The faint sound of the stake hitting the ground seems almost ludicrous, this instrument of an immortal's death that barely tamps down the grass where it lays.

Klaus pulls back as Marcel curses in pain, more to dull the scent of _her_ than fear of Marcel's retaliation. He dares a quick glance and while there's hurt that shines in the dampness of her eyes, she's staring at him like she's trying to figure him out and her betrayal sits on his chest like a weight because somehow his heart still refuses to believe it. And - oh the irony - we do not feel we do not care and his own _heart_ is the biggest traitor of them all. So when he sees her open her mouth to speak, he interrupts her before the sweet rasp of her voice poisons him further. "If you thought Caroline a bargaining chip for the city, then you were woefully mistaken. Kill her if you wish, Marcellus. And then try to kill _me_ and see how far that stake gets you."

And these things, and those that follow, happen in the briefest of moments. Moments that stretch somehow, drawn out moments that bear the weight of more time than they're made up of, as all life-changing moments do. There and gone. Words spoken and left unsaid. Love and loss and death and ruin and -

Bonnie stabs at Marcel with a spell and his shattered hand raises to clutch his temples. Caroline, now free, shakes as if to clear her own head and angles towards Josh and Bonnie while a wolf makes a half-hearted grab at her before the shine of the white oak stake distracts him. She shoves at his weak grip with a twist and watches his hand close on the stake and then he's turning and throwing and she's tracking it as it slices through the air.

And there's no sense to it, really, because Klaus is _Klaus_ and his hand is already almost lazily raising to block the threat but she...she's there instead and there's a bubbling gasp as breath is torn from her throat and replaced with blood and then he's catching her in his arms and he's staring down at the stake that's lodged deep in her chest and he thinks, not for the first time since meeting Caroline Forbes _\- oh - is this what loyalty is?_

* * *

 ** _I think we all know this isn't an angst story, so don't fret too much.  
_**


	17. Chapter 17

**FFN did not send out a notification for the last update, so PLEASE make sure you've read Chapter 16 first if you're following this story!**

 **P.S. Josh in canon has on his fake-tinder profile the line about nessie. I had to. P.P.S it's my headcanon that Klaus stole 'acquit' from Elijah  
**

 **Thank you everyone for reading, it truly means the world to me.**

* * *

Emotion is impossible to catch within one's mind, at least not the strength of it, not with any lasting memory. You feel, you experience and it aches with the force of immediacy, you are overwhelmed with anger and sadness, with love and hate, with the sheer power of them beyond what the simple words can convey. But outside the moment you forget. You shake your head and laugh at the thought of it. You feel a sense of wonder, an incredulous regard for the feeling from a thousand paces.

And so you separate, and you judge, because that's what people do. You decide that anger is a bygone and deep sadness merely a choice. You can't recall the ache. You look at others and you curl your lip at the folly of extremes. Does it matter whether it's yourself or a thousand-year-old killer? Because Klaus has told himself, his family, that love is a weakness, having been so far removed from it. He's told himself and now in this moment he is thrown back into it, the lurch of feeling and his heart shudders and blood gurgles from Caroline Forbes' mouth and in the wake of this feeling he is just like anyone else - _how could I forget?_

But he has not reigned and ruled and run for a thousand years without letting instinct overpower the stockstillness of emotion. He is five paces out and Caroline is falling to the ground and then he catches her shoulders again and the wolf who threw the stake? His scream has started and stopped. His head rolls down the slope of the yard, comes to a gentle rest at the foot of a packmate.

"LEAVE US!" The double fangs are bared and the gold in Klaus' gaze gives even Bonnie a start. She darts a quick glance at Marcel, silently wills him to obey, and he tears his own gaze away from the blonde resting in Klaus' arms and mutters an order to the pack just beginning to react to their mate's death.

Those yellow eyes focus on Bonnie and it takes everything in her not to flinch.

"It's white oak," Klaus slurs past his incisors. "I can't pull out the stake without being certain it will come out whole. Any splinters left and she will die."

Bonnie nods and rushes forward, slanting her gaze down to Caroline who lays gasping, skin sheened with sweat. Her eyes are darting about, confused and far-away, as if she's trying to find an answer in the evening sky. Bonnie blocks her view when she kneels down and Caroline's eyes stutter and stop on Bonnie's face, her hand clutches weakly in the air, she tries to lift her head up and speak.

"Lama-"

"Shhh, don't speak, love. Whatever it is can wait. I promise, love." There's such a contrast between his gentle fingers brushing the lank hair off her face and that demon's stare and hybrid teeth.

Bonnie gives her hand a squeeze, begins to murmur in a low, accented voice. It's a simple spell, but it never hurts to speak the language of the land, and Louisiana Creole is the voice of voodoo, after all. She slices a hand down towards Caroline's chest and then twists her wrist, letting her palm bounce up when it's an inch away from the stake. Klaus tightens his grip and glares a frowned warning. Bonnie's hand twists and slaps again in that knife-to-palm gesture and something dances along the edges of the stake, racing up and down and then again, and again.

Marcel's fled his own house, his wolf boys in tow, so the sounds here now have less competition. Caroline's breaths gasp along with Bonnie's spell, the skittering skip of a grasshopper's call, the far-off sound of one of the jazz trios playing on Frenchmen St. A nearby late-model car honks. Josh, still standing, coughs to hide his worry.

The stake now holds a pale halo of light. Bonnie's voice falters, stops, and she nods at Klaus despite the uncertainty of the chant's end. His eyes blare punishment if she fails and she tilts her head at him, brows raised, and nods again.

"It's safe. She's safe."

She is still gasping and her blood coats Klaus' trousers and more bubbles up as Klaus grips the stake and pulls, a gently whispered "shh sweetheart" as she cries out. He bites into his wrist and holds it to her mouth, her hands releasing Bonnie's and reaching up to clutch at his forearm. Five feet away, Josh covers his mouth as his own teeth snik down in answering hunger to the siren's call of Caroline taking deep pulling sucks of Klaus' blood. He pulls Caroline closer and glares at Bonnie's questioning look. "She lost a lot of blood," he says almost defensively, and Bonnie stands and awkwardly turns away, feeling as if she's interrupting something almost intimate.

* * *

They return to the mansion, Caroline swiping her teeth with her tongue, the taste of Klaus fresh in her mouth. She's just finished explaining how she got there and she's suffering a bit of emotional whiplash because his words, however much she pegged them as false, still ring in her head but he's been staring at her like there's never been anyone or anything else and _oh, his blood_. She glares at him from her spot in between Bonnie and Josh on the couch, because she's not going to let him off easily, and his eyes cut away. She smiles a bit in triumph, toeing the Persian rug that she's sure one of his family compelled from some ancient prince. She spitefully digs in her foot to crush the fibers as Josh clears his throat.

"So, the walls between worlds are thin around you because of the spell. Which makes sense, as much as magic can. But what I don't get is how Marcel knew about you?"

"I - I don't think he -"

"My dear sister apparently enjoys telling Marcel stories and secrets as payment for his love," Klaus interrupts, his voice a knife. He hears a noise from upstairs and can't help the quick grin from slipping across his face as he leans forward in his chair, knowing that Rebekah's listening. Fixing Caroline with another confident stare, because this is something he can control, he says, "She'll pay dearly for her loose lips." He waits a moment. There. The back door slams, because Rebekah can't resist a displaying her own displeasure, and Josh jumps, almost falling off the couch.

Caroline laughs brightly and something in Klaus' chest loosens as she snakes an easy arm around Josh's shoulders and gives a squeeze. He's re-settling his laptop, dislodged from the scare, and his fingers fumble on the keys as he awkwardly turns to smile at her. A loud voice issues from the tinny speakers.

"The surgeon's photograph is what most fans point to as proof of the existence of the Loch Ness -"

Josh stabs at the space bar and Caroline laughs, her arm still draped across Josh's shoulders as Bonnie leans over, the leather couch squeaking as she cranes her neck to see the screen. "Josh - are you watching a YouTube documentary on the Loch Ness monster?"

"Look, I have _feelings_ about Nessie, ok?"

Klaus watches their easy camaraderie and something long-lost bubbles up, a feeling of uncertainty. What is it that he should say to her? He knows she's angry, that his words lie underneath her skin as much as his blood does now. He thinks of asking her how he can acquit himself, then curses inwardly. Because really, his best example of an apology is Elijah? Whose mannerisms and code stem from the 18th century? But he can't recall anyone else apologizing, aside from those screaming it as he crushed the breath from their lungs. So what other examples does he have?

He looks up and Caroline is staring at him with her head cocked, and it's too much. He stands quickly. "I need to ensure Marcel's no longer a threat. I'll have a plan for dealing with Lamashtu on my return. Don't leave the mansion until we know it's safe." His meaning is clear, and he levels a searching look at Caroline's face that lasts a little too long as Josh clears his throat again, though Bonnie's the one to speak.

"I'll need to get some supplies from Grams."

He waves a dismissive hand. "Your supplies can wait. Until we can locate Lamashtu, staying in a house ensorcelled by generations of witches minimizes the threat."

He flashes away to cut off further argument and an ancient grandfather clock tolls the hour as Caroline grumbles, "Why does _he_ get to go out."

* * *

Rebekah is waiting for Marcel when he arrives, but of course she doesn't make it seem that way. Her Louboutin dangles gracefully from a relaxed foot, her mien cool and composed. She's laughing at something in a thick leather tome which Marcel recognizes as the gag gift Thierry bought him a few months ago - a biography of Napoleon.

"Historical inaccuracy?" Marcel asks as he glides into the room of his home on the edges of Treme. Like all the Mikaelsons, he recognizes both the value of a good entrance and multiple safehouses.

Rebekah sniffs and cocks a brow. "No, history has it right that Fouché was an insufferable opportunist. Much like who compelled him to be that way." She glances at the book, moves to set it down, still reading from the page as if she is being torn from the words by Marcel's rude interruption. It's so carefully crafted Marcel smiles involuntarily. "Kol, of course," she finishes.

He folds his arms across his chest and leans against the kitchen counter, keeping his distance. "To what do I owe the pleasure, Rebekah? I'm sure Klaus has at least a hundred biographies on one of his favorite dictator idols. That," he motions to the book, "can't be the real reason you're here."

She looks down at the book, tapping the cover with her nails, her voice ever-so-casual. "Am I to understand that you revealed a confidence?"

"I may have," he responds slowly, carefully. "Was it a confidence, or a mistake?"

Rebekah glances up, studies him for a moment. "Both. There are certain things I trust you with. Because of our history, because of what we share."

Marcel looks away, walks into the room further, his stride angry. "And what is that? What do we share, Rebekah? You think it's some kind of undying, true love to last the ages?"

She has the grace to look perplexed, and her mouth frowns in a pout. "What do you expect me to believe when you've promised me a life together a thousand times or more?" She slides her shoe on, rising to approach him, still with a bit of softness. Rebekah will never stop letting her guard down, Klaus was right about that.

"What do you think we can have, Bekah? I grew up idolizing you, looking up into the face of an angel come to earth. Of course I wanted you when I became old enough to consider it. And you took that first-love pining and you drank it up," he spits out, throwing his hands wide.

Rebekah's hand has faltered in its course towards his face. She covers it by tucking a lock of hair behind her ear as he continues. "How can we have anything real? I look at you and I'm still that ten-year-old kid looking up at your beautiful face and how sick and twisted do you have to be to take advantage of that?"

Rebekah's eyes narrow. " _Very_ sick and twisted, if you must know. So sorry to debauch you in my boredom. I thought you were made of sterner stuff than blaming your own feelings on me. Pity." She shoves past him, shoulders hard, and he turns with the motion, sighing and scrubbing a hand across the top of his head and following her into the hallway.

Rebekah's armor is in place, although Marcel knows her well enough to spot the chinks.

"Don't you get it Rebekah? Damn it, I want to try with you. But it's all tainted by our start, by our past together. It's not something I can just pretend didn't happen. I'll always see you through that lens, Bekah. Whether it's now or in 200 ye-"

"Well then, there's no need to keep yammering on about it."

"I had no intent on using the white oak stake, you know. I just wanted it as leverage." He says this to her back and she throws a quick glance over her shoulder, her brow twitching in disbelief.

"Tell that to my brother."

"Yes, please do," Klaus says from the doorway, his eyes burning .

"Nik I -"

He breezes past her like she's nothing because there's nothing worse he can do to her. She stares at the back of his head a moment, the curls so artfully tousled despite the humid air, . His back is rigid and she takes comfort in it, that there is some feeling left for her, that anger coiled in his spine isn't all for Marcel. She takes a breath to try again but when she lifts her eyes Marcel is staring back almost sadly - _is that pity?_ \- and her stomach twists with such force that she almost breaks the doorknob in her hurry to escape.

Klaus hears her pained gasp before the door slams shut and he smiles, because there, she should feel the truth of it, in betrayal lies pain for the both of them.

* * *

"Damn it, she drank blood from someone's head like some sort of jacked-up goblet and I can't have more deaths on my conscience, ok?"

The color is back in Caroline's cheeks now as night falls in force. They're still sitting in the living room of the Mikaelson mansion, Bonnie squeezing her hand in comfort next to her on the fancy lounge that serves as a sofa. Josh has moved to the chair opposite and jiggles his knee as he switches computers, pulling his MacBook out of a worn, canvas backpack, hands skating over the keys as Bonnie responds.

"What do you think, Care? Do you think she's here?"

"Yeah. I mean. I don't know, but I think so. I do know that she was pretty insistent on finding her 'children'," Caroline says, punctuating with her hands. She's more than relieved that Klaus has left, because his blood pulses through her veins and she hears his voice in her head saying such conflicting things and she doesn't have time right now, ok?

Josh looks up from his screen. "I've sent a notification, so Klaus' worldwide version of the Baker Street Irregulars is on the lookout. Except they're compelled. And Klaus doesn't pay them. And they hate him." Bonnie smirks at this. "But they've got Lamashtu's description, so if she's in this world, we'll know."

Caroline sighs and leans over, pulling her hair back from her face as her elbows rest on her knees. "So what's next?" A thought hits her and she bolts upright. "Did someone get my bag from Marcel's? And can I borrow your phone?" She looks at Josh who shakes his head in answer to her first question and thumbs the lock on his cell and tosses it to her. "Wait, I don't have Abhi's number. Ugh, who knows how long it will take for him to check his email," she says, tapping at the phone.

"Well, since Klaus is back there putting the fear of...himself into Marcel. I'll send him a text," Josh mutters distractedly, hands still flying over the keyboard, and Bonnie turns to study Caroline's face.

"You ok? Aside from the whole plunging through universes, freaky demon things and," Bonnie starts laughing in the middle of her question, "being stabbed in the chest? I guess it's telling that all this just feels like another day in Nwalins," she drawls out the city name in an accent caught between Brooklyn and the South.

Caroline laughs, but her heart's not in it. "Well, I'm worried about my mom, and if I'll see her again. And -" she pauses, shakes her head. "Nothing, it's stupid." She looks away, towards the window where the heavy curtains muffle the sound of Mardi Gras revelry.

Bonnie playfully pokes Caroline's knee, forcing her to turn. "Hey, you know...you know Klaus didn't mean anything he said back there," she says in a guess, watching as Caroline's face crumples in reaction.

"Yeah maybe, but why do I care so much?"

"Because the ladies always love a bad boy, amirite?" Bonnie lets out a low groan as Caroline and Josh look up in surprise. From the threshold, Kol stands, one foot crossed casually in front of the other, his head tilted in studied insouciance. "Can't say my brother doesn't have good taste but-" he enters the room, flops down next to Bonnie and loops an arm around her, "my tastes run more towards black excellence. Sorry to disappoint," he looks apologetically at Caroline before giving Josh a wink and directing a loud stage whisper towards him. "I read that line in Essence. Perfect, no?" Bonnie is in full facepalm at this point and Caroline can't help but laugh.

"Are you...Elijah?" Caroline asks.

Bonnie looks up at this, eager to see Kol's reaction. His expression of horror does not disappoint and he sags back into the lounge dramatically. "You wound me, darling." His gaze turns to Bonnie and he mimes stabbing himself in the heart and twisting the blade. "And you as well, for clearly you haven't told Caroline of our undying love or my roguish charm."

He stands and rushes over to the window, drawing the curtains open. "But you have a chance to redeem yourself, darlings. It's Mardi Gras and I have plenty of beads. I am, of course, equal opportunity." Kol turns, offering a wicked grin.

"We're not so sure it's a good idea to go out. Klaus was pretty adamant about staying safe until he can ensure Caroline's - um, our - safety," Bonnie responds, glad for the excuse. Kol is dangerous on many levels, and she's too tired to keep her guard up.

Caroline bristles at this and stands, sending pleading eyes Bonnie's way. "I've never been to New Orleans, Bon! And it's Mardi Gras! If Lamashtu was here we'd know about it, but for now? Klaus can freaking chill with the ordering me around."

Kol mimes tipping an imaginary hat.. "Brava, my bellisima. You're going to be so much fun, aren't you?" He turns towards Bonnie and waggles his brows. "What about my dearest witch? I've got plenty of beads to trade you for showing your luscious ti- _oof_ "

Bonnie doesn't even resort to witchcraft, just a punch in the gut that doubles Kol over in surprise.

She walks back and links arms with Caroline, glancing at Josh with an unspoken "you coming?"

He snaps his laptop shut and stands nervously, clearly the one that's thinking ahead to Klaus' reaction. "Guys don't you think we should-" but they're out the door and vampire hearing or no, he doesn't think they're quite listening.

* * *

Marcel's look is caught somewhere between defiance and resignation as Klaus orders a hybrid to pour the concrete. "Look, Klaus, from what I'm hearing about this demon goddess, you're gonna need all hands on deck."

Klaus clasps his hands behind his back and lifts his brows. "And what guarantee do I have that you won't use the chaos to your advantage? After all, it's what _I_ would do, and as you are so fond of pointing out, I was your mentor." He paces around Marcel whose hands and legs are cuffed with ensorcelled chains to the post behind him. A wet drip echoes from the back of the Garden, punctuating a low moan that issues from one of the prisoners not yet dessicated. "You crossed a line, Marcel, as you have many times in the past, yet somehow I've always found it in my heart to forgive you."

Marcel huffs a laugh through his nose. "Your heart? Before yesterday, I didn't think you had one."

"Ah Marcel, you always were so amusing." There's a frustrated yell and a sound of plaster crumbling as some tortured vampire gives a start at Marcel's name. "See, even Thierry thinks so."

"Look, Klaus. If you're just gonna gloat, then lap it up and leave, because I'm done. If you're here to talk, that's a different story. Let's lay it all out on the line. You came here after years in Mystic Falls and took over what I built. Why? Why did you need to run things, to ruin them? People were happy, things were good. People still bowed to you."

"They bowed to you," Klaus snarls before stopping short. "I don't have time for this, Marcel. You're here until I decide otherwise, and now I have the only weapon you can use to dislodge me from my rule. You played your hand too clumsily. Seems as if you still have a bit to learn, my dear protégé."

He spins on his heel, calling back over his shoulder mockingly as he exits the dismal gloom of the Garden, "I do hope you enjoy your stay!" It's a weak exit line, to be sure, but he's got other things on his mind as he pulls out the stake and traces the blood - her blood - that still gleams softly in the streetlights.

* * *

"Well, that escalated quickly," Josh says wryly, taking a large gulp of his drink.

Bonnie nods without turning her head, still focusing on the scene in front of her. It had started out innocently enough, shitty overpriced drinks and blues on Bourbon St., then an escape to the still touristy but infinitely cooler Frenchmen Street where Kol pulled Caroline up on the bar top to dance. Six tequila shots and an unasked-for grope later, the bar lies in chaos. The band stopped about thirty seconds into the fray, shoving instruments in cases and peacing out the back door. And while Caroline's particularly excited to cross off "hit someone with a chair in a bar fight" from her bucket list, she's had to talk Kol down from killing the guy who tried to grab her ass, along with everyone else. He's now stacking unconscious bodies with focused intent.

"Joshua! Come play Jenga with me!" he shouts, and when Josh facepalms in answer, Kol shrugs and grabs a redhead who's just emerged from the bathroom and is stopped in her tracks, surveying the damage with confusion. Kol sighs with exasperation before compelling her, and soon she's tugging at a baseball-capped marine in the middle of one of the piles and Kol is clapping his hands with delight.

"So….how do you, uh, get him to stop, normally?" Caroline slides over to where Bonnie and Josh are standing.

"Oh, I can give him a witchy aneurysm. That will slow him down enough to come up with some other way to entertain him. I just held off because, well," Bonnie lifts a brow, "it seemed like you were having fun."

"It certainly did, Caroline." Klaus' voice is sharp, a knifeblade of irritation. "What part of stay inside and safe was difficult to comprehend, hmm?"

Caroline turns sharply, her hair whipping around her face. "Excuse me? Look, buddy, I've crossed between worlds, fought demons, saved my mom, and followed a weird vampire lady through a hole in the fabric of time. I can take care of myself." She crosses her arms over her chest, notes the sound of sirens in the distance.

"Yes you showed that so masterfully with Marcellus."

"Seriously? Screw you, Klaus."

Josh and Bonnie's eyes ping-pong between the two arguing vampires. Kol tries to sling an arm across Bonnie's shoulders, a still-unconscious body slung over his opposite shoulder casually. She shoves him with a glare and he holds a hand up in mock defense. "What? It's a to-go snack! Seeing my brother fail miserably always makes me a bit peckish."

Bonnie stares at him until his face drops in disappointment and he sets the body down in a chair, where it promptly falls over and slides the rest of the way to the floor. Bonnie's relieved to still hear a grunt. "Come on, let's head out before the police arrive. I promise she'll give us all the details later." She glances at Caroline, who gives a small distracted wave as they pass her. Klaus spares Kol a murderous glance before digging his Caroline-shaped grave further:

"While I appreciate the eloquence of your rejoinder, I do think perhaps you're not the person to make claims of safety."

"Look, old man linguist, you don't get to tell me what to do with my time and my life, ok? I can't even listen to you right now." She's out the door and in the street, suddenly aware that she has no idea how to get back to his house, or if she even wants to go.

"Please." It creaks from his mouth, a word worn from lack of use. Caroline's scowl fades and she turns back to look up at him, surprised.

"Ok."

His brow relaxes, although anger still lies in the set of his jaw. Some impulse has her reaching a hand out, and he glances up, confusion adding to the already conflicting mess of emotions on his face. She smiles and wiggles her fingers, and he grins in return, so tentatively that her heart leaps and aches at the same time, and then he's with her in the street, his long fingers circling hers, and they begin to walk.

"I don't think you truly understand...it is not in me to sacrifice for someone else." He's looking down the street, not meeting her eyes. She hears a chaos of police cars as they pull up to the bar her and Kol singlehandedly trashed. "I want power, and loyalty, I want to possess," his voice deepens at the last word and she feels desire flash, unbidden. "But now..." His glance towards her is somehow full of both shyness and admonishment all at once. "I want you _safe_. And I can't keep you safe from Marcel, and the countless supernatural creatures in this town if you're out carousing with my brother," his lip curls, and when she opens her mouth to respond he stops her.

"No, let me finish. Please." That word again, still awkward on those devil's lips. They walk underneath a balcony laden with college students, the smell of beer and cheap house alcohol saturating the air. A girl with a loud, awkward laugh brays out drunkenly. "I tried to convince myself, had convinced myself, that I went to India to discover the power that sent you here, to harness it." He ducks an unruly bougainvilla that trails down from the overhang, the easy grace of his movements striking. He's watching her now, eyes only flicking back to the street to mark the location. He swallows and Caroline realizes how unsure of himself he is, and that more than anything convinces her that his next words are the truth.

"I meant none of what I said to Marcel." She glances up, hopeful, lip between her teeth where she's been worrying it anxiously. His eyes focus on her mouth. "When I thought you'd betrayed -"

He pauses, and when he continues it's a different thought that emerges. "Why did you do it? Jump in front of the stake?" he adds when she darts a confused glance at him.

Caroline glances down and Klaus memorizes the curl of her lashes against her skin. "I, I don't know." She huffs out a laugh, shakes her head. "I mean, it was instinct, for sure, because I know logically you wouldn't need help. But I wasn't sure if the stake was like super hybrid kryptonite or whatever and I just -"

"- let yourself lead with your heart, not your head," he finishes, his voice soft.

She's uncomfortable with that, too close to feelings she swears she'll have time to examine someday, but she can't really deny it either, so she just tries to deflect with a shrug. "Yeah, I mean I guess so? Who knows." But he's staring at her in this knowing way and he seems to weigh something in his mind before his eyes darken and he stops and spins and she's up against the wall with his arms bracketing. "Tell me, Caroline. Do you really not know? Can you truly deny what lies between us?" His eyes flicker back towards her lips as he licks his own. "There's no question that I want you, Caroline."

She nervously ducks under his arm and he lets her with a grin, his wolf up for the chase, following in her wake as she passes another group of drunken tourists laden with beads and bad judgment. "And is it just that?" she asks, the last word holding a hint of a catch. She breezes on to cover her reveal, "You know, there are a ton of hot people in your own world," she teases and his face falls. She feels a pang of confused regret.

"Ah yes, I guess you'll be heading home after we kill your vampire goddess for you ," he spits out, and Caroline thinks she understands.

"Well, I'm not sure I can get back now that i've pulled myself through yet again, to be honest." She grabs at a shoulder, turns him to face her. Someone bumps into her from behind with a muttered "damn tourists stopping in the middle of the sidewalk". Klaus growls and the stranger responds with a disbelieving "what the _fuck?_ " before darting into a nearby bar.

Klaus focuses back on her, hybrid light dying in his eyes, and there's something beautifully wicked about the fading glow that crackles a thrill down her spine. But he's still sullen, moody, and she hasn't really gotten to her point.

"When Lamashtu jumped through the portal" she says, squeezing the shoulder she still has a grip on before dropping her hand. "I barely thought about staying behind, and to be honest I feel super guilty about that. Because it was more than just finding and stopping Lamashtu. I wanted to come back. For Bonnie, for Josh. And against every ounce of my better judgment," she looks almost irritated, "for you. So coming back here and then being vampirenapped and having to deal with Marcel trying to charm me - which, by the way, you can totally tell he's stolen your moves," she rants and Klaus glowers. "And then on top of that to know that he read my letter _and I didn't even know the stake was there_ and I'm still confused and then you said those things, Klaus. It just-"she sighs, worn out from her rant, "it just sucked, ok?"

Klaus considers her for a moment, a streetlight designed to mimic gaslights of yesteryear flickering behind so her hair appears forged in light. "Marcel is paying dearly for using you as leverage."

"That's not what I mean, Klaus. I don't want anyone else to be hurt. Look -" But he's shaking his head, a fierce expression on his face, his mouth turned down in the way that can only mean he's digging his heels in, so she lifts her chin, pokes a finger at his chest. "Look, you can totally kill him for other reasons, if that's what you're on about." He smiles at this clarification, and she continues with another finger jab to his chest. "But not on my account, Klaus. That's for me to be angry about, not you."

She spins on her heel and once again, all he can do is follow, hands in pockets, brows high and a grin plastered across that he'd label as foolish on any other face.

Whoever thought that vampires were tireless clearly hadn't crossed between universes multiple times, changed time zones, and had their emotions run to hell and back. Caroline is dragging by the time her and Klaus reach his door. He's been quiet since she stalked away, seeming to notice that she needed some time to gather her thoughts, and she's grateful for this shocking turn of patience; she imagines it's rare. She turns towards him as they approach the door, but it opens from within and Bonnie and Josh both stand in the doorway, talking over each other.

"There's been a positive ID on Lama-.

"- Didn't you see your phone?"

Klaus glances at Caroline and her heart flips as she realizes he must have ignored his phone while they were talking. He pulls his cell out of his pocket and scrolls through the texts, barely glancing up as he responds and pushes through the doorway.

"So the demon is at the step-well. Good. We'll just have to prepare a welcoming committee and find a way to bring her here, where we're strongest."

Josh spins around, fiddling with the doorknob as he closes it. "Uh yeah, about that. Rebekah left on the private jet twenty minutes ago. Take one guess where the flight plan has her heading?"


End file.
